


Sunggyu the Heartthrob

by feminabeata



Category: Golden Child (Korea Band), Infinite (Band), Lovelyz
Genre: F/M, High School, Musicals, Teachers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2018-11-01 23:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 69,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10932345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feminabeata/pseuds/feminabeata
Summary: It was Jinyoung's third year teaching at a high school for the arts when a certain heartthrob known as "Snuggly" began to snuggle his way into her life.This is a story about when a lifelong fangirl meets an old, retired idol that she never even heard of.(Formerly known as "Snuggly the Heartthrob." I changed it because the title was too cheesy even for me, also it was originally poking fun at my friend. After a year, the joke isn't so funny anymore)





	1. Jinyoung meets Snuggly

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about because my friend actually typed "Snuggly the Heartthrob" instead of "Sunggyu the Heartthrob." And for some odd reason, I thought it would make a good title for a fic, so I wrote one.

High school never changes. The people in the school do change, and the building may change. But what makes it a "high school" never does. You have the kingkas and their queens, ruling the hallways with their manicured fists. You have the top students that are admired for their brains and feared for their tenacity. You have the jocks who prize their brawn for their brain, the artistic types that amaze with their creativity, and the class clowns who raises the spirits of those around them, perhaps at another's expense. And then there are the loners who hide back in the shadows, just waiting for these three long years to end and for their chance to shine after graduation. There are also students that fall in between this spectrum of h.s. stereotypes, and so they don't have much of an identity. They are hard to recollect, at least not easily. And that is where Jinyoung had fallen in. She was smart, but not the smartest. She was clever but not the funniest. And even though she played sports, she wasn’t considered athletic. Jinyoung just existed in high school.

However, recently she started to gain a reputation among the students. She had tattled to the principal that she’d seen a second year smoking outside of the building. To her, it was a serious issue. This was an arts school and the student was a singer. Jinyoung didn’t want him to jeopardize his future career and throat for the sake of nicotine. And ever since then, she’d garnered the reputation of being strict. The students were wary of her and stayed away, afraid that she’d report them too for any misdemeanor. And in turn, she grew more nervous around them. After all, her survival at this school hinged on how they felt about her. If the students were to turn on her, she’d have to leave.

Even now, in her third year, Jinyoung hid behind the corner as soon as she caught sight of the kingka of the school. Jinyoung shut her eyes tightly as she hid, hoping that he hadn’t seen her. It was awkward with him. Hot and cold, that’s how he was with her, sometimes sending her dark glares and at other times, blindingly bright smiles. How was she supposed to take that? It was suspicious. What did he want from her? Flattery wouldn’t get what he wanted from her, nor would intimidation. Jinyoung decided it was better to take neither the smiles nor the glares from him, as much as she could. However, meeting him was unavoidable. They had class together.

Jinyoung didn’t particularly care for him. Kingkas were always the ones with the most confidence and ambition, not necessarily the most attractive. And with each passing year, Jinyoung found those types more and more intolerable.

“Did you see Snuggly today?”

Jinyoung’s eyes snapped wide opened, and she pressed her back flat against the wall, trying to blend in with it as a pair of girls were approaching her.

“Is it possible? Did he get _even_ more handsome today?”

“I think it was how he did his hair. Snuggly got it cut, didn’t you notice?” one of the girl was boasting about her perceptiveness when it came to their mutual crush. “His side burns are shorter.”

But her friend did not back down, taking it as a challenge. Which one of them knew Snuggly best. “I think it’s his new pants. Didn’t you see them? They fit his butt very nicely.” The girl sighed dramatically. “He’s got model-like proportions.”

The other laughed derisively. “What butt? He’s flat as a pancake!”

Jinyoung sputtered at that. Her hands flew to her mouth, trying to keep the laughter inside, but her giggles managed to slip through her fingers. But she couldn’t help it! These two girls were acting as if they were talking so cryptically, but their nickname for their crush was so obvious! Jinyoung knew exactly who they were talking about, and it was hilarious. His butt was _really_ flat!

The girls finally took notice of Jinyoung and both immediately dropped their gazes and started blushing like mad. They probably thought Jinyoung would go tell Snuggly about their feelings (but she wouldn’t. Jingyoung wasn’t like that).

“Seonsaeng-nim!”

Jinyoung brought her hands down and bowed her head slightly at them. “Good morning,” she greeted them softly. “Are you two ready for class?”

“Yes!” the two girls yelped in unison and rushed off to their first class that day. Jinyoung smiled as she watched them scurry off. She liked them. Those girls might’ve been a bit boy crazy but they were good students, which she couldn’t say for…

“Yo saem!” Jinyoung cringed when she heard the kingka (Jaesuk) called out to her.

 _So he’s going to act friendly with me today_ , Jinyoung thought as she lifted herself off from the wall and gave him a small smile. Jaesuk knew how to get what he wanted through any means, just as long as it meant he didn’t have to put any effort into studying. Unfortunately Jinyoung didn’t give out good marks so easily. She demanded that her students to at least work for their grade, which was a problem for most. And it was another reason why Jinyoung wasn’t well liked at this school: she was the History teacher at an arts school. Most didn’t think that her subject would further them in life. For them, history was torture and Jinyoung was the dungeon master. But she tried to not let their opinions to get her down.

She was going to teach them history whether they liked it or not. And they were eventually going to love it because she did. Or that was the plan.

Jinyoung walked into the classroom with a huge smile on her face. “Good morning, everyone! Who’s ready to learn about Onjo?” she asked cheerfully to her drowsy class.

“No one,” Youngtaek (the class clown) shouted from the back of the class. His remark only gained a few sniggers, but it was enough for the clown to look satisfied with himself.  
“Then,” Jinyoung began and started to walk down the center aisle. “Everyone get up! Come on! Up! Up!” she urged her sluggish class. Eventually each and every one got up onto their feet. “Now let’s stretch!” she announced and was met with great groans from her students. “Come on, it’ll wake you up!” She then raised one arm and leaned to one side. She grinned as she watched her students follow. “One two! One two!” she counted as she led the stretches, moving from one side to the other. Her students did the same, muttering the counts under their breaths. “On-jo! On-jo!” she changed the count. “Say it with me now!”

“On-jo! On-jo!”

Jinyoung’s smile wavered. To be honest, she felt incredibly silly for doing this, but then again, most likely her students would be able to remember the name of the founder of the Baekji Kingdom after this. So it was worth the embarrassment. She forced her smile wider and shouted with more vigor as she moved on to stretching their legs, “On-jo! On-jo!”

* * *

During her free period, Jinyoung was at her desk in the teachers’ offices. She was eating a kimbap roll that she’d bought on her way to school. There wasn’t enough time in the morning to make actual food, especially after staying up late, planning lessons for the day. She played with a piece in her hands before popping it in her mouth and sighed while she chewed. She was getting sick of eating this everyday.

“Did you hear his new nickname that the students have for him?”

“No. What is it this time?”

“Snuggly!”

“What?!”

Jinyoung spun in her chair to face the two women walking into the room. It was Hwang Jinyi and Baek Sooryun, the Chinese and Arts teacher (respectively), who were Jinyoung’s seniors by many many years. She bowed to them as they walked in, and they nodded to her and continued their conversation.

“The nickname suits him,” Sooryun added. She slowly lowered herself into her chair at her desk, with a groan. Jinyoung could hear her joints groan along with her. The Art teacher was the one of the oldest amongst the staff. “If only I had a daughter, I would love to make him my son-in-law.”

“I have a daughter,” Jinyi quickly replied. “And I plan on doing just that.”

Sooryun laughed loudly (which Jinyoung was thankful for because it covered her own laughter and subsequent choking on her kimbap). “She’s still in college!” the old woman argued.

“He’s not _that_ much older,” her friend spat back. “Besides it’s not like guys are against the idea of marrying beautiful, young women. It’s quite the opposite.”

“True,” Sooryun agreed, but it was undercut with a sigh. “But _Snuggly_ would have a hard time with you as a mother-in-law.”

Jinyi gasped (which Jinyoung was thankful for once again because it masked her giggles, but it was true, Jinyi was overbearing at times as a coworker and would been even worse as a mother-in-law). “I would take good care of him,” the Chinese teacher fought back. She then looked over at the door and smirked. “Just watch.”

“Hm?” Jinyoung hummed as she craned her neck in order to see who was at the door. As soon as she caught sight of who it was, she rolled her eyes and sat back down. It was him, ‘Snuggly,’ otherwise known as Kim Sunggyu.

“Kim seonsaeng-nim!” Jinyi called to him more sweetly than Jinyoung had ever heard her speak to anyone. The woman walked towards him, pausing by her desk for a second to pick up a large bag. “I made you the dishes, as I promised I would. I even made you the egg rolls that you liked so much.”

Sunggyu grinned widely as he accepted the bag with both hands. “Oh thank you!”

Jinyi’s warm smile morphed into a pout. “It must be hard for you to live so far from home, without anyone to take care of you,” she lamented. The Chinese teacher then placed a hand over her heart. “Just think of me as your own mother for the time being,” she offered.

“O-oh thank you,” Sunggyu stammered as he walked over and placed the bag down on his own desk. Jinyoung noticed his smile falter. Jinyoung smirked. It seemed like he caught onto what the woman was implying (or her plans for him). “I’ll be sure to enjoy this. I missed homecooked food,” he tried to change the subject.

“I’ll be sure to cook more for you then,” Jinyi offered. And before the man could say anything, the Chinese teacher left. “I’ll see you later.”

“Take care, Hwang seongsaeng-nim,” he wished her as she passed him. Sooryun and Jinyoung were cackling at the interaction, exchanging knowing glances with each other. Hwang Jinyi was a bull, stubborn and fierce. She would not give up on her future son-in-law so easily. And since it would be improper for Sunggyu to glare at a senior, he settled for Jinyoung, his gaze burning straight through her.

“Good afternoon, Kim seonsaeng-nim,” Jinyoung greeted him cheerfully, not letting go of her mocking smile. “Are those new pants?”

Sunggyu released his glare and glanced down at his pants, brows furrowed in confusion. “Yea,” he muttered. He then raised his head back up, showing his cocky grin. “You noticed?”

“No,” Jinyoung denied without hesitating. Sunggyu’s smile fell away and he cocked his head. “I heard about it,” she clarified.

Sunggyu snapped his head back up straight and narrowed his eyes. “About my pants? Who’s talking about my pants?” he asked.

“Everybody,” Jinyoung answered simply and popped another piece of kimbap in her mouth. “Everyone’s talking about your pants,” she spoke through a full mouth.

His arms were tight to his side as he glanced down at his pants. He was stiff and uncomfortable, readying himself for embarrassment. “What? Are they weird?” he muttered as he tried to examine his pants as well as he could with them still on.

Jinyoung’s grin widened. She could have fun with this. “I don’t know. Turn around,” she told him. “Come on, turn around,” she urged him once more after he looked up at her hesitantly. At that, he gave in and lifted his arms slightly and spun around slowly for her.

“Like this?” he asked as he turned. “Are they weird?”

The pants weren’t weird, not in the slightest. They fit Sunggyu well, clinging onto his waist snuggly but did not fit tightly throughout. They were completely appropriate pants for some of his age, teaching at a school full of impressionable (and hormonal) youths. However, Jinyoung was weird and inappropriate. When Sunggyu turned, her eyes fell down to his butt, where the pants were a bit looser than in other places, which reminded her of the girls’ conversation this morning. _Pancake butt_. And she exploded into a fit of laughter, resting her head on her desk as she threw her whole body into the fit.

Sunggyu froze. “Wh-what?” he blubbered. “What? Why are you laughing?” Now his voice sounded angrier because Jinyoung wasn’t answering and was still laughing.

She lifted her head from the desk and waved her hand, trying to wipe the doubts from his mind. “It’s nothing. I swear,” she wheezed. Jinyoung wanted to stop laughing; she really did. But it was the confused look on his face that would send her off again.

“That,” he spoke as he gestured towards her. “That doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“You,” Jinyoung began but soon stopped to take in a deep breath, calming herself down. She tucked in her lips, waiting a second or two before starting again, “You look fine. Don’t worry about it.” She then got up and began to gather her things. Jinyoung couldn’t trust herself. There was a chance that she’d start laughing again. She had to escape this situation. “I should go,” Jinyoung announced. And as she walked past him, she tried assuring him again, “You’re fine. I promise.” However, his face showed that he wasn’t entirely convinced by her words. But what else could she say? It was better to leave the conversation at that and go.

When she was just outside the door, Jinyoung could hear him ask their senior teacher, “Do these pants look weird to you?”

“No! They fit you very well, Sunggyu!” the Art teacher praised. “You look dashing.”  
“That’s what I thought,” Sunggyu murmured below his breath. “That girl is weird.”

“Eh,” Sooryun remarked. “Jinyoungie is just like that.”

“Weird?”

“Yes,” the woman replied with a hearty chuckle.

After hearing that, Jinyoung smiled to herself and continued down the halls to her classroom. She wasn’t about to deny it. She was weird. But she liked to think it was a charming kind of weird, like Ryan the maneless lion. Her steps slowed. But most people think that Ryan is a bear. What do they think about her? Does she seem like something she’s not too? Jinyoung shook that thought out of her head, held it up higher, and continued to walk down the halls at her usual pace. She couldn’t entirely help what people thought of her. But she was going to stay true to herself, be that maneless lion, the history teacher in a school for the Arts.

* * *

That afternoon, Jinyoung’s classes were as restless as packs of hyenas, paying attention to every little distraction rather than hear her lecture. However she was used to it. She could focus their attention for a few minutes, but then it would slip through her fingers again. Also by the end of the day, her own attention span was shot. She was almost as grateful as her students when classes were over.

She was prowling through the hallways, making her way slowly back to her office, when she noticed it. Jinyoung heard it first. A voice gently wafted through the air, sounding similar to someone lightly tapping a bell, quiet but clear. Jinyoung stopped at the music classroom and looked through the window that separated the hallway from the classroom. A young male student was still continuing his vocal lesson, even though class time was over.

Just like she accepted the fact that she was considered ‘weird,’ Jinyoung also understood why people found Sunggyu attractive. There he was in the classroom, sitting at the piano bench as he listened to the student attentively. Sunggyu’s attraction didn’t rest solely on his looks. There were men better looking. But it laid in his actions. When the boy stopped after his light voice cracked slightly, Sunggyu sprung into action.

“I can’t do it all of the sudden. It’s too hard,” the boy spoke as lowly as he was singing before. His head was bowed, staring at his feet.

Sunggyu scooted towards the end of the bench in order to get closer to the student. “You can do it,” he assured him. “Rather than pushing the notes out, just pull them out, like using your head voice,” he gestured as he directed the other, as if he were plucking the notes from the top of his head. “Let’s try it from the beginning,” Sunggyu told the student. The boy tilted his head to the side, reluctant to try again. Sunggyu noticed this. “You can do it. Don’t worry if your voice cracks. For now, just try.”

You’d have to be heartless not to be affected by that, not to soften at that warm look that he was giving his student, not to feel encouraged by those words. Even the student gave way to Snuggly’s charms.

“Okay,” the student gave in raising his head. However his eyes weren’t still on the Music teacher. His gaze was fixed on the window, not the one looking outside but the one looking out into the hallway. He noticed Jinyoung. She froze as their eyes met. “But…”

Sunggyu followed his student’s gaze, catching Jinyoung’s gaze briefly before she darted down the halls.

But she didn’t get very far. “ACK!” Jinyoung yelped while she knocked into a trashcan. The can crashed onto the ground, spilling its contents everywhere. “Aish,” she cursed under her breath as she crouched down, propped up the trashcan, and began to put the trash back in the bin.

“Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Jinyoung craned her neck to look behind her, shifting on the balls of her feet. It was just Sunggyu. She then returned to picking up the garbage. “Yea, I’m fine,” she muttered.

“Really?” he challenged with a slight chuckle. He crouched down besides her. “Because you screamed _really_ loudly,” he teased and then pushed a crumpled wad of paper towards Jinyoung with his finger, ‘helping’ her clean up.

She sighed, plucked up the wad, and tossed it in the bin. “I was just shocked, that’s all,” she defended herself. Jinyoung then nodded back towards the classroom. “Go back. Finish the lesson. I can do this myself.”

“We were already done. But…” Sunggyu stopped talking and flicked another piece of trash towards her, and Jinyoung picked it up with the tips of her fingers, grimacing. It was after she threw it into the can when she finally looked over at him and he continued. “Were you watching my lesson?” he asked with a cheeky smile.

“Yes,” Jinyoung answered honestly and quickly. She then giggled out of embarrassment while she explained herself, “I was curious. I’m always curious. But don’t you ever wonder how everyone teaches?” she turned the question towards him. “Like Dongwoo. Don’t you wonder how he teaches Chemistry?”

“Without burning down the building? Yea I wonder that all of the time,” Sunggyu joked. “And how Hwang teaches without running her students over like a bull” Jinyoung nodded as she stood up and put the last piece of trash into the can with a sigh. _It’s done._ She then turned to Sunggyu, about to say ‘goodbye’ to him, but he had stood up along with her and now was looking at her expectantly. He wouldn’t let it go. “So what did you think?” he asked. “My teaching, how was it?”

“Good. You really know your stuff,” Jinyoung gave him the praise that he was searching for.

“Of course. I’m smart. I know things,” Sunggyu boasted. He then beckoned her with the wave of his hand, welcoming more praise from her. “What else? Were you impressed?”

Jinyoung rolled her eyes. “I only saw you for a few minutes. That’s hardly enough time to assess you completely,” she wasn’t going to give him any more gratification than she already had.

“True,” he admitted with a small nod and then asked, “So can I watch you teach sometime?”

Jinyoung sputtered when she heard that. “No, never!” she refused. “You’d be too much of a distraction.” After she saw his smile widen, she realized what she had implied so she was quick to correct it, “For my students! You’d distract them.”

Well, that didn’t make his cocky smile small. It had grown to its full size. “They all like me. They _really_ like me. They’re fanatic,” Sunggyu bragged, putting his hands in his pockets. Jinyoung glanced over at him and gave him a half smile. _Forget about Jaesuk. This guy is the real kingka at this school_.

“Yea, they are,” she couldn’t deny that. “I’m gonna go. Thanks for helping.” _Or just watching me pick up trash_ , she held in. Jinyoung began walking down the hall and turned back to wave to him, “Take care.”

He waved back before returning back to the classroom, “You too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes.” There was no way for Jinyoung to avoid it.

* * *

It took a long while for Jinyoung to get back home; it always did. Her apartment was in a different part of the city than the school. But she’d lived in that apartment for years, even before she’d gotten the position at the Arts School. It was the first and only place that she lived in the city after moving up from her hometown of Pohang. It would make her life easier if she’d move closer to the school. She could probably afford a better place too. But she didn’t want to. She liked her landlady, who looked after Jinyoung like an aunt (a bit overbearing at times but it was sweet to know that someone was looking out for her). Then there was him, the man who lived the floor above her. He was cute and a bit younger than she was and tall. And it was that tall, long backside that Jinyoung saw going up the stairs, several steps ahead of her. He seemed busy. He always seemed busy. There was an air of mystery around the man upstairs, and Jinyoung had a fun time trying to ‘solve’ that mystery the best she could. What she learned so far was that he wasn’t originally from the city like she was, and that he always comes home as late as she does. _He must either have a demanding job or a long commute…or both_ , Jinyoung thought as she watched his feet walk up the stairs. She then stepped onto her floor. _Good night, man upstairs_.

But the real reason why wouldn’t dare to move lived on the same floor as she did. When Jinyoung reached her apartment, she opened the door only to throw her bag inside of the apartment. Afterwards, she shut the door and ran over to the apartment across the hall. She pressed in the number that she knew by heart into the keypad and ripped the door wide open. “I’m home!” Jinyoung announced loudly as she slipped her heels off. She then raced over to the couch and threw herself onto it, making herself comfortable. Jinyoung closed her eye tightly and sighed contentedly. This was a place where her heart felt completely at ease. It was especially comforting on a day like today when her heart was anything but at ease at times.

When Jinyoung opened her eyes again, a man was standing in front of her, with his hands in his pockets. “Oh,” Jinyoung gasped and sat up, opening her arms wide. “My husband! I’m home!”

The man winced. “Aish, would you stop calling me that? I’m not _yours_ ,” he reminded her. “Put your arms down.”

Jinyoung did as she was told, pinning her arms to her side, and pouted. “Sorry,” she apologized, but she was fighting a smile on her face the whole time. She really liked to tease him.

“Oh? Jinyoung-ah! You’re home!” a voice yelled from behind the couch.

Jinyoung turned around and flung her arms wide open again. “Hyunae-yah!” she exclaimed.

Hyunae was a friend that Jinyoung had made in college and now was her closest friend in the whole world. When they graduated, they both moved to the city together. Jinyoung had moved because of a job. Hyunae moved for her then boyfriend, now husband Woohyun, who had gotten a job at a major company. By a stroke of fate, they were able rent apartments on the same floor, which made it feel to Jinyoung that the entire floor was their ‘home.’ Her home was their home, and their home was her home. And they became a makeshift family over the years, growing closer and closer together. Hyunae was more like a sister to Jinyoung now, which would make Woohyun her ‘brother-in-law’ (but that didn’t get a rise of out him like calling him her ‘husband’ did). The three of them would eat together almost every night and talk about their days, their problems, and their joys. However, Jinyoung feared that those days would soon come to an end. The three of them was about to become the four of them. Hyunae was pregnant.

Hyunae made her way carefully over to her best friend and the two of them hugged. She wasn’t far along in her pregnancy, just a few weeks, but Hyunae was nervous as it was her first. Jinyoung was too. Their embrace was lighter than it usually was.

When the both of them had let go, Woohyun frowned at his wife. “Don’t I get a hug too?” he grumbled.

Hyunae gave him a hug too (which satisfied him), but her eyes were still on her friend. “How was your day?” she asked.

Jinyoung gave a slender smile as she took a moment, watching the couple hold each other and glancing down to the slight bump growing on Hyunae. “It was alright. Same as always.” At least that was one part of her life that Jinyoung could count on to stay the same.

* * *

“When are _you_ going to meet somebody?” Woohyun asked while they were sitting in the living room after dinner. The question wasn’t so random. Woohyun had been sharing the latest office gossip with them and how he suspected that two interns were dating. And based on what he had told her about the interns, Jinyoung had predicted it happening weeks ago and reminded him of it. So Jinyoung knew what his question was truly getting at: when would she stop focusing on other people’s love lives and focus on her own.

“It’s not that easy,” Jinyoung replied. “I don’t have much time, and all of the ‘new’ people I’ve been meeting lately are minors. I don’t want to go to jail.”

“Honey,” Hyunae called to her husband. “Don’t you have anyone to set Jinyoung up with at work?”

Woohyun casted a nervous glance over at the teacher before responding lowly, “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Eh, I won’t blame you if the date turned out poorly,” Jinyoung assured him. “That wouldn’t be your fault.”

Woohyun shook his head. “No, I don’t want to get in trouble with people at work,” he clarified. “You know too much about me and you’re a blabbermouth,” he quickly added before either woman could object. And neither could now. He had a point. “I have a reputation to uphold there.”

“Yea, I guess it wouldn’t be good if your coworkers knew that you used to have naked tea time as a ‘bonding’ experience with your college roommates,” Jinyoung admitted (while ruffling his feathers at the same time).

Woohyun closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Why do I tell you these things?”

“Because we’re friends,” Jinyoung answered his rhetorical question.

“You _do_ have a strange way of pulling this sort of information out of people,” Hyunae remarked. “If you could actually keep a secret, you’d make a good spy. Except, you’re also too loud. You wouldn’t be able to sneak up on people. Also you lose things often…”

“It’s a good thing that I’m a teacher then, huh?” Jinyoung cut her off with a smile. “It’s my job to tell people everything. And with history, there’s _a_ _lot_ to tell.”

“Eung, it’s the perfect job for you,” Hyunae responded through a yawn and began to lean on the man next to her. Woohyun caught her yawn too and put his arm around her.

Jinyoung picked up on the hint. It was late, and she was running close to overstaying her welcome. The couple wanted some time alone. So Jinyoung popped up from her seat. “I need to go. I need to finish my lesson plans for tomorrow,” she declared as she headed towards the door, slipping on her shoes. And the couple didn’t even try to hold her back.

“Okay, Jinyoung. Good night!” Hyunae wished her with a loud but tired voice.

“Night!” Woohyun’s voice overlapped with his wife’s.

“Night!” Jinyoung said back while waving and then left.

The walk across the hall felt especially long that night and grim. Maybe it was because she was dragging her feet with her head hanging low the entire walk, but Jinyoung couldn’t help it. She felt lonelier this time after leaving ‘home.’ She started missing it and their company much more quickly, the second after she left. With a heavy heart, Jinyoung knew that times like those were limited now.

She leaned against her front door after closing it behind her. _Maybe I should start dating again_ , she thought. I’m pretty much settled at school now. _I’m a bit freer now. I could. I should! It’s decided! I will start dating again!_ She lifted herself from the door with a slight smile, which fell slowly as she started getting ready for bed, changing her clothes and washing her face. She could hear nothing but the water splashing in the sink and her footsteps pattering across the floor. Her resolution to date did nothing to assuage her loneliness. Instead, she felt it even more now. It was hard to just start dating when there was no one around. _Who is even there to date?_ Jinyoung mused to herself as she flopped onto the bed.

“Kakao!”

It was her phone. Jinyoung groaned as she reached for it. The teachers had a group chat and messages this late at night normally meant that someone wanted Jinyoung to cover their study hall for them, or something like that. And she would because “Jinyoung is weird and actually enjoys doing it.” No, Jinyoung was a pushover and would cover out of the kindness (and guilt) of her heart.

In any case, the message wasn’t from the group chat, but it was from a fellow teacher. It was from Sunggyu. He’d sent her a gif of a child not watching where it was going and running into a trashcan, falling backwards on its behind and crying. “This reminded me of you,” he wrote, teasing her about what happened earlier that day.

While Jinyoung could be a pushover for some, she refused to have Sunggyu ‘knock’ her around. She bit her lip in concentration as she searched for an image online. “Yes,” she cheered under her breath as she found it and began laughing when she typed in the message and sent it: “This reminded me of you.” The image was of a stack of pancakes.

Jinyoung kept giggling to herself as she placed the phone on her nightstand. Sunggyu probably wouldn’t understand the joke, but it made her laugh. “Hehehe, pancake butt,” she cackled as she tucked herself into bed.

“Kakao!’

Jinyoung shivered from shock. She didn’t really expect a message back, and he’d written, “Why? Because I’m sweet.” After reading that, she dropped the phone onto the bed as if it were hot. She picked it up a second later in order to type a quick ‘no’ in response and put the phone on the stand.

“I’m crazy. Really crazy,” she mumbled to herself as she pulled the covers over her head. “Why did I say that? Ugh, I really don’t want to see him tomorrow.”

But it was unavoidable. Even if she didn’t run into Sunggyu that day, she’d still hear about him on everyone’s lips. ‘Snuggly’ truly was everywhere, cradling the whole school in his embrace. There was nothing that Jinyoung could do to escape, especially since tomorrow would bring news that would change her life at the school forever


	2. Snuggly's After School Activities

It was a strange day from the start. Jinyoung woke up and checked the time on her phone, only for her to see a message from a friend that she hadn’t heard from since she moved to the city. It was a friend that Jinyoung had made in high school, Yewon. The two of them had been close, as much as her and Hyunae were now. But the great distance made them grow apart. After a few phone calls, the conversation between them just stopped. But now, it had started again. Yewon had sent them a photo of the two of them in their last days of high school, with their arms around each other as if they’d never let each other go. Nostalgia, when the word was traced back to its roots, it meant ‘homecoming pains’ and that was what she was feeling now, the longing ache for her home and for those old times.

But there was a promise for a cure. “I moved to the city weeks ago,” Yewon wrote. “We should meet for dinner.”

“I’d love to! Let’s do it!” Jinyoung spoke under her breath as she typed. After sending the message, she studied the photo again. So much time had passed since then, but Jinyoung would like to think that she hadn’t changed much since then.  _ I’m still in high school now _ , she thought with a laugh. 

_ I wonder if Yewonnie changed. _

The second curious thing to happen was the man upstairs. He wasn’t upstairs or going up the stairs, but down in front of the building. “Oh, Sungyeol-ssi!” Jinyoung must’ve sounded as shocked as she was because Sungyeol immediately explained himself.

“I’m waiting for my ride. It’s late,” he told her.

“For work?” she asked, and he nodded in response. She walked up next to him. “At least it’s a nice day out today,” she stated and then took in a deep breath while stretching.

“Yea, it’s a beautiful day to be late,” he sounded irritated as he searched for his ride down the street. Sungyeol then sighed and shook his head, giving up. He turned to Jinyoung. “So how are you?”

“Me?” Jinyoung was surprised that the other continued the conversation. She actually had to take a step back in order to return back to his side because she was already getting ready to leave, thinking that their conversation was going to end with a few remarks about the weather. She smiled. Maybe she’d get to know more about the mysterious man. “I’m doing well. I teach at the Arts High School nearby, and...”

Sungyeol furrowed his brows. “Nearby?” he challenged with a slight laugh. “That school isn’t what I’d call nearby.”

“True,” Jinyoung admitted. “But it’s the closest one.” In response to that, Sungyeol just cocked his head and continued to look down the street, away from Jinyoung.  _ Are we done now? Should I continue what I was saying? Or just leave? _ She gripped her bag and clenched her teeth as she smiled at him. “Well…”

“I work at the bank just up the road,” Sungyeol shared looking back at her with a grin. “It would probably be better just to walk, right?” Jinyoung gave him a small nod. “You take the bus, right?” Jinyoung nodded again, but was perplexed. How did he know? Did he watch her like she watched him? Was he just as curious too? “The bus stop is on the way to work. So...shall we?” he asked as he beckoned her with the wave of his hand to follow him down the street.

“Oh, okay,” Jinyoung stammered as she hurried to keep up with his long, loping stride. Two of her steps equalled to about one of his. But even given that, Jinyoung couldn't stop smiling as she slowly started to lose her breath. With every step (literally now), she was getting closer to the Man Upstairs. “What do you do at the bank?” Jinyoung asked him, hoping to piece together more of this puzzle. “I'm not entirely sure what is there to do at a bank other than to take people’s money,” she joked, quickly losing more of her breath as she spoke.

“Fraud detection,” Sungyeol answered. “That's what I do.”

“Oh,” Jinyoung whistled under her breath. “That's interesting. Like you deal with counterfeit bills?”

“It's fun, but it has its dull moments. And yea counterfeits and stuff like that,” Sungyeol replied. “Are you impressed? It seems like you're impressed.”

Jinyoung frowned. Why did that sound so familiar? She shook, trying to rid herself of that eerie feeling and to refuse Sungyeol of the gratification. “I’d be more impressed if you gave me some,” she said, extending her hand towards her neighbor, palm up.

Sungyeol stopped in his step and gazed down at her hand. “What? Money?” he asked, a corner of his mouth quirking up.

“No, fake money,” Jinyoung clarified. “I want to prank someone with it.”

Sungyeol snorted. “You could get into trouble,” he reprimanded her, and Jinyoung immediately retracted her hand, embarrassed. “And it's not like I carry it on me.”

“Oh right,” Jinyoung murmured under her breath. “Then next time, maybe.”

Her neighbor shook his head, hiding his smile slightly. “Yea sure, next time,” it didn't sound so much like a genuine promise but a promise made to drop the subject. “Well, this is your stop. It was nice walking with you Jinyoung-ssi.”

“O-oh!” she gasped. Since they'd been walking so quickly, she didn't even notice that they were already at the stop, and her bus was pulling up to the curb. “That's mine!” she exclaimed. Jinyoung turned around and waved goodbye to the Man Upstairs before rushing onto the bus.

It wasn't until after she had sat down on the bus and was calm again, when she began to process what had just happened. She frowned as she looked out the window. It was curious. For a man that seemed so cut off the rest of the world and mysterious (and serious, so serious), Sungyeol proved to be just the opposite. Chatty, smiling, these weren't things that Jinyoung didn't think Sungyeol would be. As it would turn out, you can't tell much about a man if you're only looking at his back.

* * *

These ‘curious’ things did not end when Jinyoung reached the school. No, instead things just got curiouser and curiouser. Right as she entered the building, Jinyi walked past her, remarking that the principal had been looking for her.

“What? Why does he want to meet with me?” Jinyoung asked, but the Chinese teacher just shrugged and kept walking along. Jinyoung sighed.  _ Well, there's only one way to find out.  _ She went straight to the principal’s office, not even stopping to put her stuff down at her own desk first. 

And if it was possible, Jinyoung left even more confused than when she had entered the office. It was no secret that Sooryun (the Art teacher) was getting a little too old for some of the responsibilities that came with teaching. So she was often excused from after school activities. But Jinyoung hadn't considered how far that would extend, like she hadn't considered how much her reputation of being a pushover preceded her. 

She was asked to help out with the musical. Jinyoung agreed to do so out of reflex without realizing what it would entail. Making the sets, Jinyoung would have to watch the students and not make just one but many sets and set pieces for the musical. Sure, Jinyoung had experience painting sets when she was in high school herself, but that was years ago and there's a stark difference between participating and leading a project like this. 

“What am I going to do?” she asked herself lowly when she plopped down at her desk. She placed her head in her hands in order to keep it from spinning.  _ Do they really need sets? Can't it be like one of those plays without sets and just lots and lots of lighting? _

No, it couldn't. Not with the play that they were doing. All Shook Up. It was going to be colorful, and flashy, and as extravagant as Elvis’ blue suede shoes.  _ This musical is going to have me crying all the time! _

Jinyoung was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts of sequins and leather when a heavy pile of papers was dropped onto her desk. She jumped up in shock and whipped her head over to see who it was. “Seonsaeng-nim!” Jinyoung exclaimed in relief. It was Sooryun and next to her was the Drama teacher, with whom Jinyoung had very little interaction (but she bargained that would all change very soon). 

“I have come to your rescue,” the Art teacher told her with a cackle. With the little time before classes started, Sooryun explained that in the large pile of papers were all of the plans for the sets. She and the Drama teacher had already discussed and finalized them. All Jinyoung simply had to do was to follow the instructions and to make sure that the students didn't hurt themselves while making them or try to eat paint. And that sounded like something Jinyoung could do. Her heart was starting to feel at ease again when the Drama teacher, Do Chilgoo, proposed that Jinyoung do something else outside of her expertise: help judge the auditions.

“Ah okay,” she reluctantly gave in, but she was still holding out hope to persuade him to change his mind. “I don’t know how much help I’d be…”

“We’ll need a tie-breaker,” he cut her off. He then turned to Sooryun and spoke as an aside, “We never seem to agree on some roles.”

Sooryun nodded knowingly to him and pat him on the back as if it were some consolation. The Art teacher then turned to Jinyoung. “I used to go to the auditions too,” she assured her that it was normal. “It’s fun! You really get to see another side of the students. I mean, this is why some of them are here.”

True, Jinyoung thought while chewing nervously on her lip. It was good for her to see the other sides of her students rather than the lazy bunch that they tended to be in her class.  _ I should seem them when they are shining _ . “Alright. I’ll see you then,” Jinyoung agreed wholeheartedly this time. “When is it exactly?”

“Tonight,” he announced proudly and added as an afterthought, “You don’t have anything going on do you?”

“No, I don’t,” she confessed.  _ I never really do, except dinner with the Hyuns _ .  “I’m free as a bird.”

“Great! See you then.”

* * *

When classes had finished, Jinyoung headed for the theater. She’d neglected to ask when auditions actually started, so to be safe, she came as soon as she could. And she came to an empty theater. Jinyoung sighed as she took in the stage.  _ This is where I'm going to be spending my time now. _ Unexpectedly Jinyoung began to feel actually excited at that prospect. She hadn't had an “after school activity” outside of study hall, nor since college. She hadn't joined any clubs either.  _ This, this might all turn out for the best, _ Jinyoung thought as she sat down in a chair, her eyes were still on the stage, her hands clung tightly to the blueprints Sooryun had given her. Soon that empty stage would be alive and colorful. She couldn't wait.

“Oh Hong seonsaeng-nim! You're early,” the Drama teacher announced as soon as he opened the door.

“Ah yes,” she stammered as she got up to greet him. “Am I too early?”

“Just a bit,” Chilgoo answered honestly. “But I'm glad you're here. Me and that guy never seem to agree on much. We won't need you as a tie-breaker but as a referee,” he joked.

Jinyoung cocked her head. “Who is…”

“I'm going to get some coffee,” he unintentionally interrupted her. “Would you like some?”

“Yes please!” she gladly accepted. Chilgoo was about to leave but then he turned back towards her. “Black coffee will be fine,” she guessed what he was about to ask.

“Okay, I'll be back shortly. You wait here,” and with that, he left the theater,

Jinyoung puffed out her cheeks and sat back down. The Drama teacher was nice. She always had a good impression of him. He was a very gentle guy, passionate about teaching, so it was hard for her to wrap her head around it. A referee? Who wouldn't he get along with? It seemed like someone disagreed with Chilgoo, giving him a rough time. But who could that be? Who else would be helping with the musical?

Jinyoung realized who it was a half a second before she heard his voice. “What are you doing here?” Sunggyu asked as he took the seat next to her. 

Of course, it would be him, Kim Sunggyu, not only because he was the vocal teacher but also because Sunggyu could be as stubborn as Hwang in his opinions. He wouldn't back down easily, not even to a friendly guy like the Drama teacher. 

Jinyoung’s own relationship with Sunggyu was quite complicated as well. She had known the man for three years now. She and Dongwoo were hired in the same year, and Sunggyu had been hired the year before. By the time Jinyoung and Dongwoo arrived, Sunggyu had already reached ‘legendary’ status at the school. In some ways, Jinyoung admired him for it and wanted to emulate him; in other ways, she wanted to crush him and become the new favorite teacher at the school, but she soon realized that wasn't going to happen. Her competitive spirit was slowly turning into envy, and she didn't like feeling that way. So being around him was difficult at times. 

Also being coworkers is a strange thing in itself, especially after working so closely for years. You learn pretty intimate things about your coworker without much of the closeness, even more so when you're as nosy as Jinyoung (or as chatty as she and Sunggyu could be). She knew that Sunggyu’s birthday was in late April (it was almost like a holiday at the school with the amount of gifts being given to him), that his sister got married recently (someone had to cover his classes while he was gone), and that he had a very weak stomach (due to an unfortunate mishap with undercooked meat at an MT). And Jinyoung knew much, much more about him than that. However, even though she knew as much as she did about him, Jinyoung still wouldn't consider them to be friends. Just coworkers, and that was it. Dongwoo, on the other hand, seemed more like a friend. The two of them bonded over being the non-arts teachers at the schools and the closest in age. Well, the latter wasn't a very good reason; Sunggyu was the same age as Jinyoung. But for some reason, Jinyoung couldn’t feel like his friend.

“Are you here to watch the auditions?” Sunggyu asked. “Or to see me?”

Maybe  _ that _ was why Jinyoung built a wall between them. She shook her head. “I’m filling in,” she explained. “I’m supervising set design.”

“Oh, tough job,” Sunggyu said after whistling lowly.

“Really?” Jinyoung challenged, quirking an eyebrow. “I’d think your job would be tougher, especially since you have to tell some of these kids that they aren’t good enough.” She didn't really see how she'd be any help in this process. She didn't think that she'd have the heart to reject these kids, her kids.

“If I don’t tell them that, someone else will,” Sunggyu replied curtly. And he had a point. These weren't the average students. The ones who were about to come onto that stage possibly wanted to pursue this as a career and would face harsher criticism than anything Jinyoung or even Sunggyu would dare to say to them. Jinyoung nodded as she listened to him talk, her eyes on the stage again. “Besides, your job is tougher. My kids won’t have to work with hammers and paint.”

Jinyoung snapped her head back towards him and whined, “Ah, I didn’t think about that.” Her mind started to run wild. Teenagers with hammers and nails didn't sound like a good mix at all. “Where’s the first aid kit?” she asked him, already imagining emergency situations. Sunggyu shrugged while laughing at her reaction. “Do I need to buy one? I’m serious.”

“You two, come down here!” The Drama teacher had walked in without them noticing it and was seating himself at the table near the stage. “We’re about to start. Come on,” he called out to them again because the two of them were just staring at him, dumbfounded. After being called a second time, they both sprang up from their seats and tried to make their way towards him, but then Chilgoo pointed at Sunggyu. “You! Go open the doors and tell the students that they can come in.” Sunggyu did as he was told, but Jinyoung could hear him grumbling lowly as he walk passed her to get the doors. Jinyoung furrowed her brows as she watched Sunggyu open and go out the doors. This was strange. Jinyoung had never heard the Drama teacher be so short with someone.  _ What’s going on between them? _ She peeled her eyes away from the door and onto the middle-aged man down by the stage. Chilgoo was smiling warmly at her, showing off the cups of coffee in his hands. “Here’s your coffee, Hong seonsaeng-nim,” he said as he offered her the cup when she came down.

“Thank you,” she responded and accepted it. She smiled awkwardly at her fellow teacher before taking a sip. Jinyoung wasn’t used to being favored over Sunggyu by anyone, and now that she was, for some reason, it was slightly unsettling rather than flattering. It made her suspicious. 

“Where’s mine?” Sunggyu had returned, and the students were filing into the theater behind them. Jinyoung looked over at him, but his gaze was fixed on the cup in her hands. 

“I only have two hands,” Chilgoo excused himself as he sat down in the middle of the table, not even sparing the other man a glance.

“You’re bribing her!” Sunggyu accused him. “You’re trying to sway her votes.”

Jinyoung rolled her eyes. “It’s  _ just _ coffee,” she didn’t say that to excuse Chilgoo for his pettiness, but she was offended that those two thought she could be swayed so easily.

“Yea, it’s just coffee,” Chilgoo repeated, thinking that Jinyoung was standing up for him. He looked over at her and patted the chair next to him at the end of the table. “Please sit by me.”

“Ah no!” Sunggyu quickly objected, knowing that the other man was literally trying to get their ‘referee’ on his side. After squabbling in hushed voices for a few seconds (so that the students couldn’t hear), Jinyoung somehow ended up sitting in the middle, between the two men, which was just as uncomfortable as it sounded. And right as she sat down, the two men sprung back up onto their feet.

“I’d like to say a few words…” “Let’s get started…” The two voice’s overlapped each other as they both addressed the students. Jinyoung hid her face (and her groan) in her hands. This was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

Although she had second guessed her decision to join the musical when the two ‘directors’ were bickering, Jinyoung was glad she was a part of it when the auditions actually began. She was reminded why they were all doing this. It wasn’t for the musical. It was for the students. Most of them looked excited just to be on stage; while others were overcome with nerves and looked like they’d rather be anywhere else. But when it came down to it, Sooryun was right. This is why some of the students chose to go to an arts high school. And Jinyoung was impressed by the great talent pouring from her students (but not all). Like Youngtaek. Jinyoung was so used to him making jokes in her class and seeing him playing around that it was nice to seem him be serious for once, or as serious as one could be delivering a comedic monologue. But the boy left the stage with such calmness that Jinyoung was unaccustomed to. She was enjoying seeing this side of her students. Perhaps she was enjoying it a bit too much because she kept forgetting to actually judge their skills rather than just to appreciate them. She had taken notes about their auditions, but they were mostly her impressions of them rather than anything critical.

Since they had a short break between auditions, Jinyoung glanced over at Sunggyu’s notebook, and her jaw dropped. That whole page was devoted towards just one student. “Wow,” she muttered. How did he even have that much to say? Well, it was Kim Sunggyu. He just had a lot to say in general.

“Hm?” Sunggyu had heard her and looked over at Jinyoung as he flipped to a new page. He then looked over at her notes. “She sounds like a daisy,” he read out loud. Jinyoung then covered her notebook with her hands, feeling embarrassed. So naturally, Sunggyu wanted to capitalize on it. “What do you mean?” he asked through a chuckle.

“It’s a feeling I get,” she explained to him. “What about you? What did you write?” she tried to pull the focus off of herself and it worked. Sunggyu proudly pushed his notebook towards her so that she could read it. And now, Jinyoung could finally get a good look at his notes. “Oh, technical,” she remarked. There were letters that Jinyoung could only assume were musical annotations and terms like mezzo and soprano, tenor which for some reason Jinyoung could never get straight.  _ This is what I should be writing _ , she thought as she looked back down at her own notes.

“Not all are like this,” Sunggyu responded as he took the notebook back. He then flipped to a couple of auditions before. “I wrote that he had soul,” he said and pointed to the comment on the page. “Soul!” he repeated more loudly and placing a hand over his heart. Jinyoung mimicked him and then uncovered her own notes. 

“I wrote this,” Jinyoung said as she pointed to her comment on the same student, Joochan. She had liked his audition. Jinyoung had a feeling that he could their Elvis. His voice was deep and rich, but could also be soft, light as a feather. Joochan also had an alluring, romantic quality to him, so Jinyoung just wrote down “Rose.”

Sunggyu snorted after he read that. “I used to think Dongwoo was the weirdest. You might have him beat,” he teased her.

Jinyoung pouted and looked down at her notes. “I’m just having fun,” she replied and turned to a new page. She tapped her pen on the table.  _ Maybe I should be more critical. _

“I’m ready for the next student if you two are,” Chilgoo remarked, side-eyeing his colleagues. 

“Ah, yes! Go ahead.”

The Drama teacher then called for the next student to come onto the stage and Jinyoung stood up straight, pen ready in hand. She was going to write something actually useful about this audition. But once the student opened his mouth, Jinyoung’s mind went blank.  _ What is this? He sounds like something. It’s...It’s... _

“He sounds like cabbage,” Sunggyu leaned closer and whispered. Jinyoung glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye and he just pointed down to her notebook. “Write that down,” he urged her.

She smiled. “It’s a good one,” Jinyoung whispered back as she quickly jotted it down. Yes, the student’s voice was plain and crisp like a cabbage, perfectly suitable for a chorus member. After writing that down, she looked over and read Sunggyu’s notes as he was writing. It was his job to cover the technical aspects, wasn’t it? And Chilgoo’s too! May be the only thing that these two needed was a layperson’s opinion, her impressions, to balance them out.

And Sunggyu seemed to encourage Jinyoung to see the auditions in ‘her’ way, quickly asking what she wrote down when the student exited the stage. He might’ve laughed at his answer more often than not, but he’d also share his own ‘impression’ of the student with her. It was fun.

But then the auditions were over, and so was the fun. Now Jinyoung had to play ‘referee’ as they discussed which students to invite back for the callbacks for the leading roles: Natalie (a tough mechanic with a soft heart), Dennis (an aspiring dentist), Jim (Natalie’s father), Sylvia (the owner of the local bar), Miss Sandra (a woman with a beautiful mind and body), and Elvis (no further explanation necessary).

As they were discussing these roles, Jinyoung realized why her own role was necessary. Chilgoo and Sunggyu were locked in a power struggle. The Drama teacher expected the younger to yield to seniority, and Sunggyu expected to be treated more as an equal. Also the students’ skills weren’t always balanced between singing and acting. A student tended to better in one than the other and give off a different feel when he or she sang rather than when he/she acted. However, not every role was a struggle. They all readily agreed that Jisoo and Mijoo should be called back for the role of Miss Sandra. Joochan would be called back for Elvis, although there were doubts if he could be ‘cool’ enough (Jinyoung herself having a hard time imagining her rose wiggling his hips). But when they disagreed, it was a battle. In fact they had battled it out for so long that the three of them had now relocated to a restaurant nearby, eating and drinking to take the edge off as they discussed.

To make matters worse, Jinyoung was a poor referee. A good referee would judge from the sidelines, but Jinyoung would rather play in the game. And so she did. She was arguing just as passionately as the other two. It would also just so happen that she was mainly arguing against Sunggyu. Jinyoung didn’t mean to. It just happened that way.

The biggest debate came when they were discussing Natalie, or rather what to do with their student Jiyeon. When Jiyeon’s name was brought up, Sunggyu quickly remarked that she should be Sylvia, the middle-aged barmaid. And Jinyoung couldn’t hold back her scoff. 

Sunggyu gritted his teeth as he asked, “What is it now?”

“I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized, covering her mouth. She didn’t mean to sound so derisive or to make him mad. “It’s just Jiyeonnie is so cute and full of life. Like a flower bud about to bloom. She’s not a wizened, withering flower yet like Sylvia.”

“What are you even talking about?” Sunggyu asked her, looking at her as if she were crazy.

“She has a point,” the Drama teacher added, with his mouth full of food. “I agree. Jiyeon is far too youthful to play that role. I think she’d fit as Natalie. Don’t you agree?” he turned to Jinyoung right as she took a big bite of food, so she could only nod in response.

“Fine, Jiyeon won’t be called back for Sylvia” Sunggyu gave in with a frown. He took a long sip from his soju before continuing. “But if I were to put her into any other role, it would be Miss Sandra.”

“What?!” Jinyoung gasped and choked on her food. But once she cleared her throat, she continued and now looked at Sunggyu as if he were crazy, “Really? Are we talking about the same girl?”

“Why are you always disagreeing with me?” Sunggyu snapped. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“No, I swear that I’m not!” Jinyoung exclaimed, putting her hands up in the air to show that she meant no harm. “I just feel like Jiyeon would make a better Natalie,” she spoke to him in a soft voice. Jinyoung didn’t want to argue; she just wanted to do a good job (and apparently fight Chilgoo’s battles for him).

Sunggyu must’ve realized that because he relaxed in his seat and spoke calmly in return, “I agree that she’s a better actress than Sujeong and some of the others. But I’m not confident in her vocals. She might not be able to hit the notes she needs to.”

“Well, that’s  _ your _ fault, if she can’t,” that slipped past Jinyoung’s lips before she fully realized what she was saying. And when it came out, she knew how harsh it sounded. So she immediately flashed Sunggyu a bright smile and giggled as she refilled his glass with more soju. When she was done, she nervously glanced up at Sunggyu who was staring down at her with a blank expression, just blinking for a moment or two.  _ If looks could kill _ , Jinyoung thought as she retracted back into her seat, hands in her lap.

Then Sunggyu finally broke his silence: “Okay.  _ Now _ you’re just trying to provoke me.”

Jinyoung raised her hands in the air again. “No, I swear…”

“Enough!” Chilgoo interjected, thrusting his hand between them as if to ‘break’ them apart. “Hong seonsaeng-nim, you’re causing more problems than you’re solving,” he chided her.

“Sorry,” Jinyoung apologized but she wouldn’t back down. “It’s just when I saw her onstage, I felt something...I felt sorry for her.”

“Me too,” the Drama teacher agreed and withdrew his hand. “Her acting skills are a bit unrefined, but she has potential.”

Sunggyu huffed. Jinyoung turned towards him and immediately felt bad. Sunggyu wasn’t even looking up at them anymore, just down at the table, frowning. He wasn’t being unreasonable; none of them were. But because he was on the losing side of this debate, it seemed like he was. And now, Jinyoung could feel the frustration emanating out of him. “I’ll admit that she’s better than most, but if we’re looking at Joochan as Elvis, I don’t think that their voices would blend well,” Sunggyu barely moved his lips as he talked. “Sujeong would be a better match for his voice. Soyoon too.”

“Oh, really? Huh,” Jinyoung muttered as she sat up straight in her chair, puzzling over that. “I didn’t think of that,” she admitted.  _ How can you tell when you heard them separately? _

“That’s because you’re not me. I have an ear for these things,” Sunggyu boasted and he was smiling again. He faced Jinyoung. “So do you agree with me now?”

“No,” Jinyoung answered honestly and with an apologetic smile. “Jiyeon just looks like a Natalie”

“Unbelievable,” Sunggyu grumbled as he deflated into his seat, shaking his head. But his posture wasn’t slumped for long. He straightened himself back up, leaned forward, and pointed at the History teacher, who immediately threw her hands back up in the air. “You! You just...”

“Fine!” Chilgoo interrupted them once again, pushing Sunggyu back down into his chair. “We’ll ask three girls back for the role of Natalie. Kim seonaeng-nim can pick the other two. How is that?”

“Fine. Sujeong and Soyoon, let’s call them back,” Sunggyu took the small victory that he was offered and slunk back down into his seat, but not without casting an unreadable glare at Jinyoung first.

Her throat tightened. “Fine, let’s do that,” she finally agreed with him in a soft, creaking voice. And then she put away the rest of her drink. When she finished, Sunggyu was looking at Chilgoo and discussing the role of Jim. Jinyoung thought it best to remove herself from the rest of the ‘game.’

* * *

Chilgoo was the first to leave that night. His wife called him away, which left just Jinyoung and Sunggyu to finish their drinks and to settle the bill. In the three years that they’ve known each other, they haven’t spent much time alone with each other, especially not outside of the school. It was awkward, even more so because Sunggyu’s mood hadn’t really improved. So while they were finishing up, Jinyoung knew that there was one more thing that she had to do. “I’m sorry,” she apologized to him. Sunggyu lifted his eyes from his glass to look at her, perplexed. “If I offended you tonight, I’m sorry. I really didn’t do it on purpose,” Jinyoung clarified.

“I’m not offended,” Sunggyu replied with a slight smile, probably to show how at ease he was. Jinyoung’s face must’ve displayed the disbelief she felt because Sunggyu quickly amended, “Well, not now. I have a soft heart. I’ve already forgotten about it.”

She still wasn’t quite convinced. “Really? Dongwoo told me once that you hold grudges,” Jinyoung brought up carefully. 

“Maybe, I do,” he couldn’t deny it. “But you apologized. There’s no need for a grudge.” He poured the rest of the soju bottle into both of their glasses. Maybe this was a sign that he wanted to put the matter to rest and leave, but Jinyoung could still see something lingering in his expression. Hurt? “I’m a reasonable person,” he added in a low voice when he put the empty bottle back down onto the table.

“I know,” Jinyoung readily agreed with a warm smile. “You always bring up good points.” After being kicked around and bruised all night long, Sunggyu’s ego could benefit from a small boost. And that trace of hurt was wiped from his face as a genuine grin overtook it.

“I do,” he bragged. Sunggyu then finished off his drink, Jinyoung too. When both glasses hit the table with a sharp clink, Sunggyu got up from his seat. “Shall we?” he asked, gesturing for her to get up as well. Jinyoung nodded and they both left the restaurant together. 

“Do you still live at that place really far away?” Sunggyu asked once they were outside and walking down the street.

“It’s not  _ that _ far, but yes I do,” Jinyoung answered, but at the same time, she glanced down at her watch. If she could catch the next bus, she wouldn’t have much time to work before she’d have to go to bed. There wasn’t even enough time to stop by the Hyuns. 

“Farther than me. I live just over there,” Sunggyu derailed her train of thoughts and pointed to the top of a building that was only a few blocks away. 

“So close. I’m jealous,” it’d slipped out of her mouth without her realizing it.  _ I wonder what it would be like to live so close to work? _

“Why don’t you move? They’re openings at my place now. We could be neighbors,” Sunggyu suggested.

Jinyoung snorted at that, the prospect of living near Sunggyu.  _ The students probably even follow him home and his apartment door is covered in love notes _ , Jinyoung mused. “Thank, but no thanks. I’m never moving,” she responded. Her resolve was strong in this matter.

Which piqued Sunggyu’s interest. “Never? Really? Why not?” he kept asking questions when Jinyoung kept answering with a nod.

“My best friends live there,” she finally answered with words. “We’re like family. I don’t want to leave them.”

“Ah, right. I remember you telling me that before,” when Sunggyu had said that, Jinyoung whipped her head towards him and studied him incredulously.

“I did?” she asked. He nodded. “When?”

“I don’t remember,” he answered honestly and with a small chuckle. “But you  _ did _ tell me. You guys are all from Pohang, right?” he shared another bit of information that he knew about her.

Her smile tugged harder at her lips, growing. “That’s right,” she muttered, not being able to hide the surprise in her voice. And Sunggyu didn’t even try to hide the proud look on his face because he’d remembered, he’d listened.  _ That’s right _ , Jinyoung repeated in her mind. That’s right, her and Sunggyu were chatty, and their days were filled with small talk, with others and with each other. How many conversations have they held just waiting for the coffee to brew in the offices? How many short chats they had in the hallways in between classes? Both serious and trifling ones?  _ How much does he remember?  _

“It’s  _ a lot  _ further than Jeonju,” Jinyoung shared a bit of what she knew about him.

Sunggyu scoffed in disbelief but was still smiling. “Do you  _ try  _ to always win the prize for living the furthest away?” he joked.

“Ah no. But it works out like that, doesn’t it?” Jinyoung retorted. She then thrust her hands into the air and cheered, “I win. I finally beat you at something.”

Sunggyu clapped at her achievement and as soullessly as he could, told her, “Congratulations.”

Jinyoung put her hands down and bowed. “Thank you. I tried hard to win,” she spoke as if it were an acceptance speech. But when she pulled herself back up straight, Sunggyu wasn’t even paying attention to her anymore. His eyes were fixed further down the street.

“Do you ride the bus home?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” she mumbled out slowly.

“Is it that bus?” he said as he pointed to a bus peeling away from the curb already.

“MY BUS!” Jinyoung yelped and tried to take off after it. But the bus was picking up speed whereas Jinyoung was slowly losing hers, especially after she tripped over a small raise in the sidewalk, making her stumble and stop to regain her balance. Once she did, the bus was out of her reach. She looked back at Sunggyu, panicked. And he was walking up to her, chuckling at her misfortune. “Now what?” she asked him in desperation, but then she realized that she was being a bit too desperate.  _ What can he do? What am I expecting him to do? _ She pulled her eyes away from him and looked down at her watch.  _ The next bus will be here in _ ...

“I’ll wait with you,” Sunggyu offered.

“No, you don’t have to,” Jinyoung turned him down politely. “You’re practically home already. Go on,” she urged him.

“What are you going to do?” he asked, stepping closer. “It’s cold.”

Jinyoung took a step forward and scanned the area, humming in thought, “Hm.” She then lifted her arm, gesturing to a brightly lit window across the street. “That café is open. I’ll just wait there.” Sunggyu did have a point, it was too cold to wait outside for long.

He smirked. “I could go for some coffee.”   
“You wanna come?” Jinyoung extended the invitation. Sunggyu nodded, quickly accepting it. Her smile wasn’t as big as it had been for the most of the night, but it was still there, a poor cover for the apprehension filling her. But she still beckoned him to follow her to the cafe. “Alright. Let’s go.”

* * *

Neither of them got coffee at this late hour. Jinyoung settled for ginger tea, and Sunggyu had just sat down at the table with a fruit smoothie. Jinyoung laughed at the both of them.  _ What are we doing? _ Sunggyu, however, was confused by her sudden burst of laughter and raised his brow in question. “It’s nothing. I promise,” she tried to dismiss his worries.

But it didn’t work. “It’s hard to take you seriously when you’re still laughing,” he retorted, still studying her with narrowed eyes.

“Am I?” Jinyoung asked through giggles. She couldn’t control it, but she was trying, now biting her lips to hold it back. But it would just escape out of her nose in puffs.

“Are you and Dongwoo related or something? Twins?” Sunggyu half-teased but he was still trying to figure her out, as evident by his steady gaze. “You two laugh at anything.”

“No,” this time Jinyoung was laughing at Sunggyu (or his joke). “We just enjoy life is all. Life’s too short not to laugh.”

“I think you guys enjoy life too much,” he retorted, leaning back into his chair with his drink in hand. He looked like the picture of relaxation now.  _ He seems to be enjoying himself _ , Jinyoung thought as she rest her cheek in her hand. Her gaze then dropped to her cup. Now she was feeling anxious. She glanced back up at Sunggyu, who was just drinking his smoothie as he was staring out the window. Doesn’t he feel awkward too?  _ This is awkward isn’t it. We’ve never spent this much time with just the two of us. I don’t know what to do. I don’t really know him.  _

Jinyoung knew how to solve one of those problems: “We’ve known each other for years, but I don’t think I know very much about you before you started working here.”

“Yea,” Sunggyu muttered, facing her once again. He put his drink down on the table. “We mostly talk about work. We don’t have much of a life besides work,” Sunggyu remarked, ending it with a slight laugh.

“Not anymore,” Jinyoung admitted with a great sigh. She leaned more into her hand as she stared at him. “You must’ve had a life before you came here.”

“I did.”

“So, what did you do?” she asked with a shrug.

“What do you mean?” Sunggyu sputtered. “That’s a pretty broad question. Like where I went to college?”

Jinyoung shook her head. “No, I know that, at least. You told me when we first met,” she recollected. It was part of their introductions: name, subject, and their alma mater. No one knew of her small school in Pohang. It didn’t have the reputation that Sunggyu’s Seoul university had. But that was to be expected. Jinyoung pouted in thought. “How about instead you tell me…hmmm…” She then clapped her hands, bolting up straight in her seat as if she was struck by lightning. “Oh! Why did you want to teach music?”

“In the beginning,” Sunggyu paused for a second, hesitating. But after meeting Jinyoung’s gaze again, he continued, “I didn’t want to teach. I actually wanted to do music.”

“That makes sense,” she reacted, nodding as she listened. “How did it go?”

“Poorly,” Sunggyu confessed with a short laugh.  “I was in an idol group.”

Jinyoung’s jaw dropped and she looked the other up and down as if she were seeing him for the first time. “What?! No way. You’re lying!” she objected as soon as her jaw went back to normal.

“Why is it so unbelievable?” he argued with a deep pout. “I’m handsome enough, likeable enough.”

“You are,” Jinyoung nearly cut him off. And when Sunggyu began smirking, she quickly added, putting the conversation back on track, “But I thought you’d be in a band or something, something that you don’t have to dance for.”

“Hey, I can dance,” Sunggyu declared proudly. Jinyoung raised an eyebrow in contention. “As long as someone teaches me the moves, I can dance,” he corrected. “But I was in a band too, but just a high school one. That failed too.” He sighed heavily, shaking his head as he picked up his drink again. He then took a sip and looked back up at Jinyoung who was staring back at him, incredulously. “What?” he asked, not even removing the drink from his lips.

Jinyoung had been studying him with narrowed eyes, not only searching him but her memory as well. “I’m just having a hard time seeing it,” she confessed. “I was  _ really _ into idol groups when I was younger.” That would be an understatement. For years, all she would listen to were idol groups, and that phase of her life probably lasted a bit longer than it should. But even given that, the man sitting across from her, she couldn’t place him in that era of her life. Not his face, not his voice, none of him. Jinyoung’s gaze narrowed even more.  _ Is he messing with me? _ She cocked her head and said “I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”

Sunggyu couldn’t look her in the eye anymore.  _ Is he really messing with me?  _ Jinyoung thought as she cocked her head to the other side as if she could see something new. And she did. Sunggyu’s eyes weren’t on her but everyone else. After deeming it ‘safe’ (by whatever standards were in his mind), Sunggyu leaned forward. “Heartthrob,” he whispered. “Does it sound familiar to you?”

“Heartthrob?” Jinyoung repeated in her usual loud voice.

“Sh!” he hissed. His hand flew up to cover her mouth, but it didn’t stay pressed against her lips for long. After half a second, when he realized what he was doing, he retracted it and placed it back onto the smoothie.

Jinyoung did the same, placing her hands on her tea and then putting the cup to her lips. When she took a sip and brought it back down, she could smile again. “Sorry, that doesn’t ring a bell. It must’ve been after my idol phase,” she apologized. The name didn’t sound familiar, but because of the way he was acting, she knew that Sunggyu wasn’t joking. He was serious and he was seriously an idol, years ago. And Jinyoung now felt guilty for not knowing him (or not knowing him better).

“Probably,” Sunggyu remarked with a sigh. “We debuted at the same time as Teen Top.”

“Wait, really?” Jinyoung gasped, bolting up straight. She pouted as she tried to remember harder. “I was still into groups then though,” she mumbled.  _ I had to know him back then. There’s no way I didn’t.  _

“Seriously?” Sunggyu sounded just as surprised. “You don’t remember us?” and now he sounded offended. Jinyoung slightly shook her head, but her smile grew along with the guilt. “You tied me up, tied me up and took away, took away my heart,” Sunggyu sang, not even caring who listened now. But Jinyoung noticed that Sunggyu’s sudden burst into song attracted the attention of the few late-night cafe goers. However, mostly she noticed how unfamiliar the song was.  _ It’s like it’s my first time listening to it, _ she thought through pursed lips. Sunggyu finally noted that no matter how much he would sing, he couldn’t jog her memory because she had no memory of him. “You  _ really _ don’t remember that?” he asked, dropping his voice again. 

“No,” Jinyoung didn’t want to admit it, but she forced it out of her tight throat. And Sunggyu began looking like he did at the restaurant earlier, disappointed in her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Sunggyu muttered, hands now in his lap and his eyes looking down at them. “We were a failure. We only had four promotions, and then the company folded.”

“That really stinks. I’m sorry,” Jinyoung tried to be sympathetic, but deep down, she acknowledged that she’d never know what that could feel like. And she really didn’t want to sound insincere because of that. So she was honest: “It must’ve been hard. I can’t even imagine.”

“It was,” Sunggyu admitted lifting his head again. “But I’m a strong guy. I made it through and got here.” And there he was again, the braggart that Jinyoung knew. She grinned and propped her elbows on the table, leaning closer to the other.

“Do you tell your kids about your experience?” she asked. “I bet they would learn  _ a lot _ from it.”

“No, no, no,” Sunggyu nearly cut her off, waving his hand furiously in the air while grimacing. “I try not to tell them if I can help it.”

“Why not?” Jinyoung objected. “We teach so many idol trainees.”

“My idol days…” Sunggyu began but stopped soon after, biting his lips, probably wondering if he really wanted to explain it. Whether he wanted to or not, he did, “Those days were  _ seriously _ embarrassing. They’d never respect me after that.” Well, that caught Jinyoung’s interest. She took a sip from her tea to hide her plotting smile behind the cup.  “So don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret,” Sunggyu told her.

Jinyoung choked on her tea as she fell apart into giggles, and Sunggyu watched her unravel in confusion. But Jinyoung couldn’t help but to laugh. This whole situation was ironic, a fangirl who couldn’t recognize an idol right in front of her face and a gossip who was told to keep a secret. “You don’t know this but…” she stopped to snort before she continued, “You told your big secret to the  _ absolute _ worst person.” Sunggyu’s expression morphed from confusion into concern, and he should be. Jinyoung laid a hand over her heart as she confessed calmly, “I can’t keep secrets.”

“What?!”

“I can’t keep a secret,” Jinyoung repeated. “I always have to tell at least  _ one _ person. It’s like an illness, really. I feel like I’d die if I don’t.”

“Well...keep this one!” Sunggyu stammered, not knowing how else to patch up her loose lips.

“I’ll try. But I’m not making promises,” Jinyoung replied.

“Fine,” Sunggyu huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.  _ How many times can I disappoint him in one night?  _ Jinyoung wondered as her eyes drifted towards the window. The crowds on the street were thinning. Everyone was making their way back home. And Jinyoung still was stuck here for few more minutes.  _ Come on bus. Come early.  _

“Then if you need to tell somebody, tell me.”

Jinyoung snapped her head back over towards Sunggyu. What did he just say? “If it’s really going to kill you to not tell someone, then tell me,” he repeated, gesturing at her to do so, spurring her on. “Go on. Tell me.”

Jinyoung giggled a bit because it was a strange idea, but it was so strange that it just might work. However for it to work, she’d have to act. Sunggyu too. But it would be worth it just to try. Sunggyu really didn’t want anyone else to know. “Okay. I’ll try,” she promised. Jinyoung then closed her eyes, leaning back into her chair, while she got into character.  _ Sunggyu doesn’t know. He doesn’t. Why? Because the man across from me isn’t Sunggyu. It’s...Woohyun. Yea! It’s Woohyun! You’re just having coffee with Woohyun...without Hyunae. Wait, that’s weird. Why isn’t she here? I’d rather have coffee with her! Okay, so Hyunae’s here too, but...she’s in the bathroom! Yea, that makes sense! That’s something Hyunae does! _

“Did you fall asleep?” the man joked after Jinyoung closed her eyes for a moment too long.

So she snapped them wide open.  _ It’s Woohyun _ , she reminded herself when saw the man.  _ A very grumpy Woohyun _ . “Nope,” she said with a great grin and relaxed in her seat. She was with an old friend after all. She should act more comfortable. “I’m just thinking of something.”

“Thinking of what?”

“I just heard that one of the teachers used to be in an idol group,” she shared with her friend. “But he doesn’t want his students to find out because it’s  _ so _ embarrassing.”

“Really? What was the name of the band?”

“Heartbeat,” Jinyoung answered.

“Heartthrob!” Sunggyu corrected her.

Jinyoung winced (both at her mistake and at Sunggyu’s shout). “Heartthrob, I meant Heartthrob,” she amended.  _ We’re breaking character. It’s no wonder why neither of us teach acting. _ Sunggyu was (always) too much like himself for her to pretend like it was anyone else, but she could still try. Jinyoung clicked her tongue as she slowly shook her head until she placed her cheek in her hand. “With a name like that, it’s no wonder why they failed.”

“Really,” the man muttered lowly.   
“Guess what,” Jinyoung attempted to distract him from feeling too sad.

“What?”

“Because he’s  _ so _ embarrassed by it, I’m gonna go home and find out everything that I can about the band,” she revealed with a wicked smile. Jinyoung couldn’t even keep her plans of snooping out Sunggyu’s idol-life a secret for long. Just like how they couldn’t keep up this act. 

“Don’t! Don’t do it!” Sunggyu commanded.

“Why not? I’m curious now,” Jinyoung retorted with a shrug. 

Sunggyu frowned. “I won’t talk to you again if you do,” he threatened.

Jinyoung stiffened. “Ah, well, if you really don’t want me to,” her voice drifted off as her gaze dropped to her lap.

Sunggyu sighed and said, “I was kidding.” Jinyoung raised her head again, and he was smiling again. “At least try to keep it a secret from the students. Can you at least promise me that?”

“Yes!” Jinyoung immediately agreed, slamming her hand against the table. “That, I can do!”

Sunggyu chuckled at her response, while shaking his head. “Good,” he said before taking his drink and finishing it (loudly). His eyes on the window, which suddenly got wide. He gestured with his pinky to the window and swallowed a large gulp before saying, “Hey, was that your bus?”

It was. Jinyoung snapped her head towards it just to see it pulling away from the stop again. “Oh my gosh! Not again!” she whined and stamped her feet underneath the table, and her body slumped over the table. Sunggyu was laughing again at her misfortune. Jinyoung lifted her head just enough from the table to send him a glare, but that made him laugh even more.  _ Jerk _ , she swore at him in her mind as she let her head fall against the table again. “I should just take a taxi home,” she concluded in a low mumble.  “Yosh,” she goaded herself on as she lifted herself back up. When she got out of her seat, Sunggyu stayed seated for a second or two before he realized that she meant to leave; then he sprung onto his feet too. It was a sudden ending to the night, but it was about time for the night to come to an end. There was no point in prolonging it. They both needed to go home. And unfortunately for Jinyoung, her home was still a long (and expensive) taxi ride away. But what else could she do? She wouldn’t make Sunggyu wait for the next bus again.

“Thank you for waiting with me. I’m sorry that it ended up being a bust,” Jinyoung told him as they walked back outside.

“It wasn’t,” Sunggyu assured her. “We should hang out more.”

“We will be,” Jinyoung replied. And when she saw his eyebrows arch, she reminded him, “The musical.”

“Ah, right,” he muttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yup, see you tomorrow!” Jinyoung said right back. The both of them wave frivolously to each other until she saw a taxi that she could wave down instead. 

When she got into the taxi, Jinyoung noticed that she’d received a message from Hyunae: “We missed you at dinner. How were the auditions?”

Jinyoung smiled to herself as she typed in a reply: “Very very good. This musical will be fun.”

* * *

When Jinyoung returned home, the first thing she did was flop onto her bed. She’d normally be asleep by now, or getting ready to. But showering and sleep would have to wait for just a moment longer. There was something pressing that she needed to do. Jinyoung rolled onto her back again and sat up, placing a pillow in her lap. She grabbed her phone and spoke out loud what she typed into the search bar on the web browser: “Heartbeat...no, Heartthrob debut MV.”

“Oh,” Jinyoung muttered when the results came up. She furrowed her eyebrows as she studied the thumbnail of the video. “This...looks familiar. I  _ have _ seen this before...then why don’t I remember?” she mused as she clicked on the link. 

When the video started playing, Jinyoung knew all too well why she couldn’t recognize Sunggyu or his song (or the band’s name). The first time she’d seen the video, Jinyoung didn’t even watch it for 30 seconds. She’d turned it off from secondhand embarrassment. Back then, Jinyoung was also slowly falling out of the idol fandom, only concentrating on her few favorite bands. And so she never gave Heartthrob a second look, or even finished the video.

And now, Jinyoung hadn’t even last past the first second. The second shot of the video was of Sunggyu sitting ‘coolly’ in a car. She paused the screen and fell onto her side while looking at it, laughing so hard that tears were welling up in her eyes. Sunggyu, he looked so different, but at the same time, Jinyoung had seen that expression on his face before, whenever he was hamming it up in front of his students (and sometimes in front of her). “Oh my gosh,” Jinyoung wheezed through her laughter. “It’s Kim Sunggyu! He hasn’t changed one bit!”

When she blinked the tears from her eyes and her vision cleared again, Jinyoung restarted the video. But she lost it again at the 20th second. Sunggyu sang the first line, and she’d almost made it all of the way through. But then he wagged his finger when he sang, “I cannot give up like this.” And so Jinyoung couldn’t help it. Idol Sunggyu was ridiculous, somehow more exaggerative than his present self.

But Jinyoung couldn’t give up like this either. It took an hour, but she finally finished the entire video.

And she loved every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for throwing a BUNCH of characters at you, but a school typically has a lot of people. So hopefully the character list does reach Game of Thrones proportions...but it's getting close.
> 
> Hopefully some of the names sound a bit familiar.


	3. Everyone’s Favorite, Snuggly, and No One’s Favorite, Jinyoung

“Can we meet for dinner tonight?”

Jinyoung woke up to that message on her phone (and reread it a few times). “Hm?” she groaned as she rolled onto her back, reading the message again after rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  _ I guess, I have no reason not to _ , Jinyoung thought.  _ It’ll be fun _ .

“Sure, Yewonnie. I would love to!” she typed out the message and then left her bed to get dressed for that day.

* * *

After Jinyoung closed her front door that morning and began walking down the hall, she soon stopped in her tracks only after a few steps. There was something blocking her path. It was a small something, something that she could easily walk around and ignore. But it was so fluffy and cute that she didn’t want to. “Puppy!” Jinyoung cooed and carefully approached the curly-haired pup. When she was a few steps away from the dog, she crouched down. “Hello puppy! Where did you come from? What’s your name? Who owns you?” she shot off several questions, speaking in a baby voice to the baby animal. But of course the dog understood none of it and cocked its head. Jinyoung mimicked it and giggled. She then opened her arms and told it to come. That the dog understood and quickly stepped into her open arms with its tail wagging. With a groan, she stood back up, cradling the dog in her arms and her fingers searching the rim of its collar. Then she found it, a tag. “There we go,” she said as she turned the collar around in order to read the tag. “You are...Aga?” She tore her eyes away from the tag and onto the dog’s dark black eyes. “Who in the world would name their dog that?” 

“AGA!” a screech came from above. Jinyoung immediately dropped her eyes back to the tag and turned it over to see the address.  _ Upstairs! You’re from upstairs! _ “Aga? Aga, where are you?” the booming was now accompanied by loud footfalls as the man raced down from upstairs.

“Um,” Jinyoung spoke out as Sungyeol almost past her floor in his hurry to get to the bottom. And he stopped. “I assume that this cute little thing is yours,” her voice was much softer than how she normally talked. But maybe that was because she had a baby in her arms, or maybe because the man walking up to her appeared inordinately frazzled. 

“Aga!” Sungyeol’s voice was significantly lower when he walked up to Jinyoung with open arms. 

“Um uh,” she stammered as the man got closer and closer. Her cheeks grew warm. Then the puppy began squirming in her arms and began whimpering at the sight of her owner. “Ah right, your dog,” Jinyoung mumbled as she extended the dog over to her neighbor. “Here you go.”

“Thank you so much, Jinyoung-ssi,” Sungyeol said and took his puppy from her. “I didn’t even know that she’d gotten out or that the front door was slightly open from when I picked up the milk.” He then dropped his gaze onto the dog and bounced her in his arms. “You’re a sly little one,” he ‘reprimanded’ her and tapped her on the nose gently. At that gesture, Aga proceeded to take the man’s finger and put it in her mouth, nibbling on it and licking it. Jinyoung smiled as she watched. Lee Sungyeol might appear to be a sullen man at first and rough around the edges, but he was honestly gentle, at least when it came to his puppy. 

“She’s really cute though. So I bet it’s easy to forgive her,” Jinyoung added, and she reached over to pat the puppy’s head. “She’s seriously too cute.”

“She gets it from me,” Sungyeol joked, but it was too early for Jinyoung to catch it. She just stared up at him, confused.  _ Does he really think...well, he named the dog ‘Aga.’ It’s possible that he thinks this is actually his child _ . “I’m kidding,” Sungyeol confessed in a low whisper.

Jinyoung retracted her hand and gripped her purse tightly. “Ah of course,” she mumbled and then tried her best to hide her embarrassment behind her smile. “If you ever need anyone to watch her, well, it seems like she likes me,” Jinyoung offered, her voice much louder than it had been all morning.

“I might take you up on that. Aw! Stop it,” he finally yelped and pulled his finger away from the dog. Aga must’ve actually bitten him that time. “This dog can’t be left to its own devices. What? What are you doing?” he gasped as the dog flipped itself around and began to claw its way up his shoulder.

Jinyoung giggled. “I can see that. Well, good luck, Sungyeol-ssi. Aga will grow up into an adult one day,” she encouraged him as she walked by him.

Sungyeol snorted. “Yea, I suppose so,” he remarked lowly. “Have a good day, Jinyoung-ssi. Your students will grow up one day too.”

Jinyoung stopped at the top of the stairs and turned back towards her neighbor. “Yea, I suppose they will.”

* * *

_ But they won’t grow up soon enough _ , Jinyoung thought as she let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't as if her homeroom was acting differently from their usual. No, it was more of the fact that they weren't acting differently. Even after months of being in school, they still wouldn't quiet down when Jinyoung entered the room.  _ They must think that I’m easy _ , she thought as she made her way to the podium, her gaze fixed on the crowd in front of her acting more like monkeys that teenagers. She cleared her throat, trying to get their attention. It failed. In fact, they might be rowdier than before. Youngtaek was on top of his desk now, shouting that he was the ‘almighty Onjo.’ Well, at least Jinyoung could take solace in the fact that Youngtaek remembered who Onjo was, but.. _.I am. I am easy. I'm a pushover _ .

Time to stand my ground. “YAH! Monkeys!”

“Monkeys?” some of the students repeated, but every single one of them had their eyes on her.

“Yes, you! Monkeys!” Jinyoung pointed at them, her frustrated frown morphing into a warm smile. She shouldn't be entirely mad at them.  They were teenagers after all. She should be happy that they were all awake and active in the morning (and hopefully ready to learn).  _ Maybe I should use their chaotic-monkey energy for some good _ . “Since monkeys like to fling things, how about you help me fling some paint onto the sets for the musical this year. The designs are pretty cool this year as is the play. Youngtaek could tell you about it,” she gestured to the student climbing down from his desk as she spoke.

“Um yes,” Youngtaek mumbled and sat down. He was acting with the same calm and gravity as he showed onstage. “It's called  _ All Shook Up _ . It's about Elvis...a-and love. Based on Shakespeare’s _ Twelfth Night _ , so it's good.”

“It is?” Jinyoung asked.

“Yes, saem. That was the reason why I auditioned. I...I like him,” he confessed lowly, perhaps nervous of what the other students may think, or maybe because he felt vulnerable showing this side of himself. 

“I like him too,” Jinyoung agreed. She then turned to the rest of the class. “See! Things that are old are still good and are timeless. The stories that we hear in the past are ones that we will hear over and over again, but in different forms. This is why history is important,” she rambled off into a monologue. And the rest of the class mumbled back in agreement, nodding. Ah, I’m losing them and my point! “So, who wants to help out?”

A student raised her hand. “Doesn’t the art club normally do the sets?”

“Yes, but the sets for this year are pretty elaborate, and I’ll confess that I have little experience with sets. I could really use the help,” Jinyoung admitted without any shame. There was no point in hiding it. Her inexperience would hatch out once they started the project anyway. “So who wants to help?” She looked about the classroom and every student was avoiding her gaze, with their eyes fixed on their lap or desk. “Please?” she begged.

“Will we get extra credit?”

“No,” she answered with a shake of her head. “But you can put it on your college application and get the satisfaction of a job well done!” the history teacher tried to make it sound like those two things were precious enough on their own. But her persuasion was weak. The students lowered their heads even more, except one.

He jumped out of his seat and boldly raised his hand, a cheeky smirk smeared across his face. “Saem! I’ll do it!”

Jinyoung fought to keep her smile from falling. “Thank you, Jaesuk. That’s very nice of you. Does...”

“I’ll do it too!” a girl interjected, sitting on her knees in her chair and leaning dangerously forward. “I’ve always wanted to paint!”

“Me too! I want to join!”

“Count me in!”

“It’ll be fun with Hong-saem! I’ll help!”

Jinyoung looked about the room nervously as the monkeys howled with excitement. With all of these students plus the art club, their help will do more harm than good. Jinyoung doubted if she could focus all of their attention on a task.  _ What have I done? _ she lamented as students chattered about meeting later that day. Then finally her gaze fell on the kingka, who was still standing and smiling at her proudly as if he’d done her the greatest favor.  _ Why are you doing this? _

She shook her head and tried to gather her students’ attention once more. “Hey monkeys! Let’s get started! Let’s learn!” She was met with a few groans, but they finally calmed down and the day’s lesson began. However the lessons were the least of her troubles today. Jinyoung was not looking forward to after school.

* * *

Just as she expected, the news of the kingka helping with the sets spread throughout the school, and now the art classroom was filled with students. There weren’t enough seats, so some opted to stand along the walls; others sat two to a seat. Jinyoung stood in front of the room, tapping her chin with her finger in thought. “Let’s move to the theater,” she suggested. “We should see the blank canvas that we’ll be dealing with.”

And so they moved. In transition, they lost a few students, saying that they had to go to their academies. They probably only came to meet with the other students and not to stay. Oddly enough, Jinyoung was grateful to say goodbye to them. Her group was thinning and becoming more manageable. Now as she was sitting on the stage, facing the students who filled up the first couple of rows in the theater, Jinyoung finally was able to get a good look at them and saw who was there. Jaesuk was sitting in the back with a few of his friends and those who came just to have the chance to be around the kingka. But close to her, smiling, was one of her favorite students, Jiae. And next to Jiae was another one of her favorite students, although she wasn’t as smiley. It was one of the many Sujeongs at the school (and in her mind, Jinyoung secretly called this one ‘grumpy Sujeong’). The two of them always did their best in her class, even though it was obvious that they had little interest in it (they were part of the art club), which made Jinyoung appreciate their effort even more. She couldn’t expect everyone to love History like she did, but she did expect them to take it seriously (and her seriously too). These two did.

Then there was a male student sitting off to the side, a few seats apart from everyone else. Jinyoung had seen him around the school, but at the moment, she couldn’t recall his name. And also now, unlike the other times before, the student reminded her of someone. He was long, lanky, just awkward, sitting there like he’d rather be anywhere else.  _ Why is he even here? _ It wasn’t because of Jaesuk. This student wasn’t sitting anywhere near the kingka. But then she noted that the students’ eyes darting over towards Jinyoung’s favorites.  _ Oh! _ A coy smile spread across her face.  _ Is it a crush? Does he want to get closer to them instead? _ But then the student tore his eyes away from the girls and onto Jinyoung in anticipation.  _ Oh, right. I’m supposed to be saying something _ . 

“So this is our canvas,” she gestured to the stage behind her. “As you can see, it’s  _ very _ big. So it’ll be a lot of work, but I have faith that we can do it,” she encouraged them, pumping her fist at the end. But the students didn’t appear to be emboldened or even moved by her words. But Jinyoung’s spirit didn’t falter. Instead she reached for the thick folder next to her and held it up to show the rest. “These were the plans that I was given for the sets, and I’d like your feedback on them. What you think about them? What we could change? Stuff like that.” She then opened up the folder showing the first set. “This is for the beginning scene when they sing  _ Jailhouse Rock _ . So...it’s a jailhouse,” Jinyoung ended, sputtering into a laugh after stating the obvious. “What do you all think?” Not a one stirred from their spot. Their eyes were on the blueprint, lips pursed in thought.  _ Well, they have ideas. I’m sure of it _ . “Come on, guys, tell me. They aren’t mine so I won’t get offended,” she joked.

“Well,” (grumpy) Sujeong began hesitantly. “Won’t the Art teacher be mad if we don’t follow her plan?”

Jinyoung shook her head. “She trusts my judgment. Besides,” she paused to scan the theater once more, at her students. “This isn’t my musical. It’s yours! So I think it should reflect you all,” at that, she saw a few students nodding in agreement. “So what do you think?” she posed the question again.

“That,” Jiae started, pointing at the blueprint. “That is the  _ cheesiest _ jailhouse that I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t look real at all.”

“It’s a  _ musical _ ,” the student sitting by himself objected. “Musicals are cheesy.”

Jiae faced him. “They don’t have to be,” she fought back. She then turned back towards the teacher. “I think more realistic sets will make the play more real.” Jiae then became aware of all of the eyes on her and squirmed in her seat. “Or something like that,” she ended with a low voice.

Jinyoung smiled. “Jiae, I completely agree. So…” she then raised her gaze towards the rest. “How do we make this look more  _ real _ ?”

* * *

For the rest of their meeting, the students and Jinyoung discussed how they could improve the set designs, or at least put the students’ personal touch into them. This made a division between the students who were genuinely interested in helping and those who were only there to hang out. Surprisingly Jaesuk and the loner student were the ones who came up to the stage, next to Jinyoung, and gave their own input about the sets (Jaesuk more so than the other). Eventually, Jinyoung had to borrow a notebook from a student in order to record all of the ideas spilling out of their mouths. Her hand flew across the page as she tried to record them all. It was impossible for them to do everything as some conflicted with each other and other suggestions were downright impossible. But Jinyoung wrote them all down. Her students, they were so creative. She didn’t want to forget that, or a moment of this project.

They hadn’t even finished going through all of the designs (they had argued about the set for the local bar the most), and Jinyoung was sad to call the meeting to a close. “We’ll continue this next time,” she promised. “Thanks, everyone!” And she dismissed them.

But Jinyoung was quite ready to leave yet. She needed to linger around this side of the city in order to meet up with Yewon for dinner.  After just leaving the discussion with the students, ideas for the sets were still bouncing around in her mind, so she decided to check out the prop closet, which was located somewhere in the school. Where exactly? Well, that was what Jinyoung was trying to find out as she aimlessly wandered around the halls. She tried looking backstage for it, but she didn’t  _ think  _ she found it. But now after exiting the theater and roaming the hallways nearby, Jinyoung was starting to wonder if she’d just walked by it earlier, or if they even had one. “No, they have to store this stuff somewhere,” she murmured to herself as she made her way back to the theater after coming to a dead end in one of the hallways. “It’s got to be here, somewhere. Oh?” 

Jinyoung found a door but it wasn’t the one that she was looking for. However, it still caught her attention because unlike the rest of the doors nearby, there was light shedding through it. Someone else was still in school. Carefully and as quietly as she could, Jinyoung walked up to the door and peered inside. 

It was one of the several practice rooms that the Arts School had. Students often stayed afterwards to perfect their singing or dancing (always accompanied by a teacher or another supervisor). Curious, Jinyoung peered in as she walked by, as she was in the habit of doing. 

“Jiyeon, what’s the most difficult thing about the callback?”

Jinyoung froze when she heard that question. For a second, she misheard and thought the question was directed towards her. When she realized her mistake, Jinyoung leaned against the wall by the door, hand over her heart willing it to slow down.  _ Of course, he doesn’t talk to me like that, and why would he ask me about the callbacks _ , she reminded herself. Lifting herself from the wall slightly, her eyes drifted into the room again. In the reflection of the mirror along the wall of the practice room, she could see Sunggyu meeting with Jiyeon. He wasn’t even sitting at the piano, ready to play, but was leaning against it. And Jiyeon didn’t appear to have her usual smile on her face. The young girl was sitting down on the floor, indian style, looking up to her teacher with a grave expression, rolling a bottle on the floor.  _ Huh? _ The air was very tense. It was never like that with Jiyeon. It was always so easy with her. Jinyoung pressed her cheek against the wall so that she could see the mirror better.

“I can do it, but I have no confidence,” Jiyeon’s voice was small and hoarse as she spoke.  _ She must’ve been singing for hours _ .

“Even though you can do it?” Sunggyu asked.

“Yes,” it was barely audible, but Jinyoung assumed that was what Jiyeon had said because she was nodding.

“Why do you think like that?” Sunggyu posed another question and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m afraid of myself,” Jiyeon answered. There was a faint smile on her lips, as faint as her voice was now, “Singing.”

“I see,” Sunggyu said with a nod. But he kept his head to one side as he asked, “Why is that?”

“Um,” the girl hummed for a moment before letting out a small giggle, embarrassed. “My voice stands out a lot.” Jinyoung dropped her gaze to the floor. Sunggyu had said that Jiyeon’s voice wouldn’t blend well with others.  _ Does Jiyeon think so too? Did Sunggyu tell her? He wouldn’t...would he?  _ She raised her eyes again only to glare at her fellow teacher.

“Should I try to sing more softly, right?” Jiyeon suggested. “I don’t want to ruin the musical because all you can hear is me.”

Sunggyu lifted himself off from the piano and crouched down onto the floor next to the student. As he did so, he spoke, “If I could give you advice about this,” he stopped to groan before landing his bottom on the floor. “...you always start off strong because you love singing. I can see that. But you pull back because you start to get self-conscious, timid. Is that right?”

“Yes,” once again Jinyoung could only tell that was what Jiyeon had said because of her actions.

“See, this is a problem that affects  _ all _ singers, whether they are students or professionals,” Sunggyu told her. His tone was much more gentle than earlier, and he was much less serious too. In fact he wasn’t even looking at the student now, but closed his eyes as he scratched the bridge of his nose. Just like that, the atmosphere was less tense. It wasn’t a lecture anymore, but more like a mentor giving out advice. “Whenever you’re onstage, you need to become someone who can sing  _ for others  _ rather than someone who can just sing. You’ll need to be that for this role, Jiyeon. That’s necessary. It’s a performance so you’re singing  _ for them _ , the audience.”

Jiyeon was nodding again. “I see,” her voice was much louder now.

“So you’ll need to be able to tolerate all the judgment from others, those things that make you timid. But don’t let that consume you. Just keep moving on and sing,” he advised. But Jiyeon just rolled the water bottle in her hands, deep in thought as she soaked in every word. “You understand?” Sunggyu asked. The girl raised her head and nodded a little before lowering it once more. Sunggyu smiled. “So I’m going to help you improve, alright?” It wasn’t so much as an offer but a promise. He had faith in her, more faith than Jinyoung thought that he did.

“But what if I don’t get the role?” Jiyeon posed, eyes still on the floor.

“Eh,” Sunggyu remarked and ‘batted’ the question away, as if it didn’t matter. “This isn’t about the role. This is about being a professional. Besides…” he paused to let out a snort before continuing, “...Hong seonsaeng-nim has been fighting for you to get this role from the start, so it’s likely…Oh! Why are you crying?”

Jinyoung pressed her cheek even closer to the wall and squinted her eyes. Then she could finally see the tears gleaming in the mirror as they poured from Jiyeon’s eyes. And the girl was slowly losing control over them.  _ Oh no! _ Jinyoung’s stomach dropped.  _ Jiyeon _ ...The teacher finally lifted herself from the wall and was going to give them the privacy that they deserved, finally. But she couldn’t help but to think that Jiyeon crying was her fault.

_ I pushed her into this role. It’s too much for her. Why didn’t I just stay quiet? _

* * *

The prop closet was right where it was supposed to be, not far from the stage. Jinyoung felt so silly when she finally was standing right in front of it, especially since she’d asked the janitor to show her where it was. Three years, Jinyoung spent three years in this place, the janitor reminded her. How did she not know where it was? Well, why would she? She had that retort on the tip of the tongue, but she was happy to see where the room was, so she just said ‘thank you’ and when the old man turned around, she stuck out her tongue at his back. It did nothing to cure the embarrassment that she was feeling right now though.

_ What have I been doing with myself today? _ She was too busy snooping in her student’s business than searching for this room. At least now she was going to put that nosiness to good use and thoroughly search this room. Or at least that’s what she had in mind before she opened the door. “Scary,” she muttered after she opened the door. It was dark and dusty, cluttered with various and weird things. Even with the light on, squinting her eyes, she couldn’t make out the whole room. There were too many dark corners, too many places for someone to hide. And no good place for Jinyoung to enter and start looking around. She had to climb over a bench and a few boxes in order to get in, but she did get in and began searching. Then searching later turned into coughing and sneezing because of all of the dusty. Soon her eyes were watering so much that Jinyoung wasn’t quite sure what she was looking at anymore.

“What is this?” she asked with a sniff as she rolled something around in her hands. “Ah! It’s a head!” The mannequin head fell through her hands and crashed down on the ground. Jinyoung leaned against a stack of boxes with a hand over her heart. Why did the school have that? For what kind of play? All Jinyoung could think now was that the head was there to scare the crap out of her. 

Then the lights flickered, followed by, “Is someone in here?”

“ACK!” Now it was Jinyoung who came crashing down onto the floor, having gone from scared to completely terrified.

“WAH!” a shout soon followed her screech, which was curious. Whoever it was now was as startled as she was.

Jinyoung raised her head over the top of the boxes and looked towards the door. There were too many things in the way. Her vision was blocked; she couldn’t see the person at the door. So she might as well hear him. “Wh-who is it?” she stammered, still shaken from the scare.

“Me.” Sadly that answer was enough for Jinyoung to tell who it was. And soon she saw Sunggyu poke his head deeper into the room. “Hong seonsaeng-nim, is that you?”

“Ye-yes,” she stuttered as she slowly stood back up. A smile spread across her face, getting ready to greet him. “Oh,” slipped through her lips as the corners of her mouth fell. Sunggyu wasn’t at the doorway anymore. He’d  tried to come inside the room and was hidden behind a large portrait of the Drama teacher (why did that even exist?). Now he was stuck the same in here, the same as her. “You gave me a heart attack,” she raised her voice as she tried to make her way over to him.

“I didn’t mean to,” he blurted out. “The light was on, and I was curious to see who was in here. And it happened to be you.” He then huffed and JInyoung could hear him stamp his foot. “Where are you?”

Jinyoung laughed. “I’m over here!” she announced as she was weaving in and out of the clutter. This place was a maze. How did she even get so deep into this closet in the first place? “I was just looking what we could use for the sets.”

“That makes sense,” he muttered. As Jinyoung was coming his way, she could she him swivel his head around, looking for her. But he didn’t need to search for much longer. Jinyoung popped up right in front of him from behind the portrait. “There you are,” he sounded a bit relieved. He put up his hand and waved. “Hello.”

“Hello,” she waved right back. “Could you help me? I’m a bit stuck back here,” she admitted with a slight chuckle, holding out her arms to him.

“How did you even manage to get back there?” Sunggyu teased her and grabbed her arms, helping to steady her as Jinyoung climbed over the stack of boxes between them.

“If I could remember, I’d be able to get out,” Jinyoung spoke with a groan as she was still climbing over the boxes. When her two feet were safely back on the ground, she quickly dropped her hands to her sides, away from him, and said, “Thank you.”

“No problem.” And there was that cocky smile again. He was acting as if he’d done a bigger favor for her than he had.

Jinyoung turned away from him and began playing with a stuffed cat that was laying on top of one of the boxes (what wasn’t in here would be a better question). “Is Jiyeon okay?” she asked, not being able to hold back her curiosity any sooner (or being able to handle his focus on her). “I saw her crying when she was with you.”

“Wow! You’re  _ really _ nosy!” he exclaimed. Jinyoung whipped her head back at him, but he was busy studying the portrait of the Drama teacher and grimacing. So she sneered at him.  _ This is rich coming from a guy who checked out this room just to see who was in here _ . 

Jinyoung then turned back around and placed the stuffed cat back onto the box where she’d found it. “Yes, I am. But I feel responsible. I feel like I’m pushing her into this role and she isn’t ready for it,” she confessed. And this time when she went to face him, Sunggyu was already waiting for her to turn around. “And why are you guys even listening to me? I don’t know anything about singing or acting,” Jinyoung huffed as she flapped her arms at her side. She really felt helpless in this situation. She’d put Jiyeon in a bad spot and couldn’t get her out, all because of her big mouth.  _ Maybe...maybe he was right all along. _

Sunggyu took a step forward, a small one because there wasn’t much room, but it was large enough for Jinyoung to feel like she needed to step back, which she couldn’t. There was a stack of boxes behind her, so she just leaned against them and looked away, not even at anything in particular, but just away from Sunggyu. She was preparing for the worst, to hear him say ‘I told you so’ and blame her for pushing Jiyeon like some stage mom. But he didn’t end up doing that: “Whether she gets this role or not, this is a good experience for her. She needs a push. You give quizzes and you don’t expect everyone to pass. It’s a learning experience either way, right?”

“True, I didn't think of it like that,” Jinyoung admitted as she lifted her eyes back up to his, but her head was still hanging.  _ In the end, he’s still right. Just not about what I thought. Jiyeon trying out for the musical means that she has an actual interest in pursuing this. It isn’t just for fun. Not all of these kids are playing around. _ Jinyoung lifted her head and forced a smile onto her face. “Give her a good shove then,” she told him.

“I will,” he promised. But he didn’t look as pleased with himself as Jinyoung expected him to be. “Can we get out of here? This place gives me the creeps,” he asked with a slight shiver.

“Me too,” Jinyoung agreed. Then she was the one to come closer to the other, leaning forward. “Want to know something even scarier?” she asked.

Sunggyu raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I have  _ no _ idea of how to get out of here,” Jinyoung confessed with a giggle.

“That  _ is _ scary.”

After a few minutes, the two finally got out of the room together. It was kind of frustrating. They could always see the door, but there was no clear path to it without climbing over things, which they tried to avoid the best they could. Jinyoung was wearing a skirt and realized that she shouldn’t act so carelessly about it, especially after Sunggyu had stopped her once from (unconsciously) hiking it up in order to step over boxes ( _ now he tells me I shouldn’t _ ). So Jinyoung was grateful to see the light of the hallway again, escaping that blasted room. She almost fell to the ground and kissed it, but that might be overkill. And she was wearing a  _ skirt _ . So she just looked over at him and smiled.

“What are you up to now?” Sunggyu asked her. Jinyoung cocked her head, hesitant to reply. “Dongwoo and I are going out. Want to come?” he offered.

“I already have plans. With a friend,” Jinyoung turned him down.

“A boy friend or…” his voice drifted off, not completing that thought.

“Girl,” she corrected him. “We used to be best friends in high school, but we lost touch over the last few years. So it's a reunion.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” he replied with a grin. “Are you excited? You don't look it,” he teased, nudging her.

Jinyoung let herself fall back a bit with that hit. Is it that obvious?  “Honestly I'm more nervous than anything,” she admitted. Since this morning, Jinyoung had been anxious about this meeting. From the bottom of her gut, she had an ominous feeling about it. After all, Yewon must've been in the city for a good while now. Why ask to meet now?  _ She found the picture of us _ , Jinyoung tried to reason away her doubt. She smiled again and looked over at Sunggyu. “And actually I'm more covered in dust than anything,” she turned it into a joke.  _ Why am I even telling him this? Ugh, why didn't I bring a change of clothes? _ Jinyoung sneezed.

“Why are you nervous?” He was facing her, hands in his pockets. “You guys were best friends,” he pointed out.

Jinyoung shrugged. “People change. It’s been a long time,” that was another worry she had. Meeting with Yewon again, they couldn’t really pick up where they left off. They couldn’t be as close as they were in the picture. Time and distance tore them apart. What if on top of that, they grew into different people during that time? Jinyoung thought they were running a risk of ruining a beautiful childhood memory.

“Did you change?” Sunggyu challenged.

She shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Then it'll be fine,” he responded casually, shrugging. Jinyoung’s smile tugged more tightly. He had a point. If she hadn’t changed much, then there was a chance Yewon hadn’t either. And maybe we could really become close again, she concluded. “Or not,” Sunggyu suddenly said. Jinyoung looked over at him and pouted. But he just...His hand extended over towards her. “You really are covered in dust,” he muttered as he brushed a finger against her shoulder. He then showed the finger to her, how it was coated in dust. “Nasty,” he grumbled as he wiped his finger back on her, or tried to but Jinyoung moved her shoulder away from him and then took a step back, and then another.

“Right, I should clean up,” she said as she kept walking backwards down the hall. Jinyoung raised her hand to wave to him. “Have a good time with Dongwoo.”

“I will. And you have fun too. Don't worry,” he responded and waved back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Eung, later!” Jinyoung exclaimed before fully turning around. And once her back was turned, she winced. She’d just slipped into casual speech with Sunggyu. That had never happened before. They always talked to each other formally, respectfully, not too familiar, even though they were the same age. Why? Well, at first Jinyoung had thought Sunggyu was older than her. There was just something about him that seemed old. But later in her first year here, she’d realized that they were the same age. However, Jinyoung didn’t drop into informalities. He’d still been at the school longer than she had and speaking to him formally had already been a habit. But why slip now? How did she?

And Jinyoung didn’t dare to look back to see how Sunggyu took it. He was strict with this kind of thing. Never once had he dropped formalities or encouraged Jinyoung to do so. Hopefully, they could just forget about this and continue like they’ve always had.  _ Hopefully _ ...

* * *

Jinyoung was able to quickly clean up in the bathroom, get rid of as much dust as she could, and redo her makeup before she met with Yewon at a place nearby. Luckily it was one of Jinyoung’s favorite places, so even if the meeting fell flat, she’d still eat a delicious meal out of it. 

However, all of her worries were for naught. Yewon was almost exactly like how Jinyoung remembered her, slightly introverted and shy but after warming up, Yewon would talk a mile a minute. She even looked similar too, with her large round glasses and long bangs. Jinyoung snorted when she noticed that the glasses didn’t even have lens, that they were just frames. But it might’ve been a point of comfort for Yewon. After wearing glasses for so many years, she probably felt weird without them on. 

But one thing was different. While Jinyoung was tremendously enjoying her meal, eating most of the dishes that they ordered, if not all, Yewon remained sitting with her hands in her lap. She wouldn’t eat. No, Yewon wanted to but couldn’t. A few times, Jinyoung noted that Yewon would bring the chopsticks to her lips, but then a look of nausea would overwhelm her face. Something was amiss.

“Are you okay?” Jinyoung asked when Yewon set down her utensils for the nth time.

Then there was that look. Jinyoung had seen it a myriad of myriads of times. Yewon, she wore her glass heart on her sleeve as if it were a bangle. She cried more easily than anyone she’d ever met (and she was friends with Woohyun and Hyunae). And now, once again, Jinyoung’s dear old friend was about to cry in the middle of the restaurant. “No,” Yewon blubbered. Then the tears began falling.

Jinyoung quickly paid for their meal and hugged Yewon closely as the both left. They went over to Yewon’s place so that she could freely break down and so that they could talk about what was bothering her. A lot had been, so much, too much of a burden for someone like Yewon. No, it was too much for anyone. No one, not even Jinyoung’s worst enemy, should go through something like that. But for Yewon, it nearly broke her, and she was scrambling to not fall apart. And so when she came across the photo of her dear old friend, Yewon thought she might at least try to reach out and hope that Jinyoung would take her hand. Then maybe, Yewon would feel much like she used too, when things were happier. But then she felt too happy at the moment, which only reminded her how sad she was and how sad she would be once Jinyoung left.

And so she asked Jinyoung to stay, just until she fell asleep. It wasn’t hard for Jinyoung to fulfill that request either. Yewon had worn herself out from crying and fell asleep curled up on the couch, like a small puppy. Jinyoung smiled softly as she stroked Yewon’s head. Her high school friend was the same yet completely altered. Regardless she was still Yewon and still dear to Jinyoung, and Jinyoung was going to help her regain her happiness as much as she could.

Unfortunately that came with one stipulation: “Please don’t tell anyone about this, Jinyoungie. I beg of you.”

And she was going to try her damnedest to keep that promise, even if it killed her.

* * *

“You’re coming home late.”

“Oh, Hyunae!” Jinyoung exclaimed. She was shocked to see her friend sitting on  _ her _ couch in  _ her _ apartment. It was normally the other way around and rarely did Hyunae ever come this late at night. She was a sight for Jinyoung’s sore and tired eyes, but Jinyoung was still a bit apprehensive. “What are you still doing up?” she asked.  _ Please don’t be because of Woohyun. Please no... _

Hyunae popped off the couch with a great smile that set Jinyoung’s heart at ease. “I took a long nap this afternoon, and now I can’t sleep,” she explained. “So I snuck out. Don’t tell Woohyun,” she begged her friend with a finger to her lips.

_ Today is a day for secrets _ . Jinyoung smirked and walked over to flop down onto her couch. “Whatever. You’ll probably tell him anyway,” she retorted, her voice muffled because of a pillow.

“True,” Hyunae chirped as she skipped over to her friend. She crouched down in front of Jinyoung. “I always end up telling him everything without meaning to.” Jinyoung turned her head to face her friend, but kept it squished against the pillow. “There’s something about the look in his eyes. Like it’s magic or something.”

“Or you love him,” Jinyoung teased her.

Hyunae nodded with her lips puffed out. “Right, I guess love is magical.”

Jinyoung bolted upright and gave her friend a light shove. “Yah! You’re starting to sound like  _ him _ !” 

Hyunae frowned. “What do you mean? I’ve always been like this,” she fought back and stuck out her tongue. 

“True,” Jinyoung mumbled and laid back down. “Always the romantic.”

“You are too!” Hyunae exclaimed, slapping Jinyoung’s back. “Or you used to be!” Jinyoung slowly pulled herself back up again. “What made you so bitter?”

_ Tonight _ . Jinyoung pulled a smile tightly across her face. “Nothing, I’m just tired,” she excused herself.

Hyunae pulled herself onto the couch to sit next to her friend. “Did those kids tire you out again?” she asked as she leaned against her friend. Jinyoung nodded with a pout. “Oh!” Hyunae exclaimed. “That’s right, the  _ musical _ ! How’s it going?”

“Actually, really well,” Jinyoung spoke honestly. She then spent the next hour telling Hyunae everything about the musical, from the plot, to the auditions, and finally about the first day with the art students. Hyunae laughed as Jinyoung spoke and occasionally asked questions, especially about Chilgoo and Sunggyu butting heads. 

“And here I thought that Sunggyu was everyone’s favorite,” Hyunae joked. Jinyoung might’ve vented to her about that subject one, two, maybe a hundred times before.

“I guess not,” Jinyoung muttered, a little less enthused than she should be that the school’s golden child was tarnishing. But there was something else weighing on her mind. “There was something I wanted to tell you,” she admitted.

“What?”

Jinyoung bit it back, teeth almost cutting into her lip.  _ No, I can’t. It’s a secret. One that I actually have to keep _ . “There’s this student who came today,” Jinyoung said instead. while furrowing her brows. “He looked like someone I knew, and it’s been bothering me all day.” She thought back to that loner student, sitting at the end of the row by himself. Tall, lanky. “I think I know who it is now.”

“Who?” Hyunae asked excitedly. 

“The Man Upstairs.”

“Ah!” Hyunae yelped which caught Jinyoung off guard. “You finally saw him! The Man Upstairs!” 

“More than that,” Jinyoung replied coyly. “Actually I’ve  _ talked _ to Sungyeol-ssi a couple of times recently.”

“Oh! Sungyeol-ssi?” Hyunae scooted more closely to her friend, eager to hear everything about this formerly mysterious man. “You even know his name now.”

“Eung,” Jinyoung responded through a yawn. “His puppy’s too. Aga.”

“Aga?” Hyunae repeated, cocking her eyebrow. Jinyoung nodded. “Who’d name their dog Aga?”

“Apparently Sungyeol-ssi,” Jinyoung answered with a shrug. “But it’s cute. So I told him that I would be willing to watch Aga, if he ever needs it.” 

“Is the dog cute or is  _ Sungyeol-ssi _ ?” Hyunae teased her. 

Jinyoung sighed. “He is too,” she admitted.

Hyunae pouted. “Now that doesn’t sound like you  _ like _ him,” she pointed out and moved away. Jinyoung could tell that her friend was disappointed in her. “We used to talk about Man Upstairs all the time. I thought you had a crush on him.” Hyunae then whipped her head over to look at her friend. “What? Is he not nice? He isn’t, is he?”

Jinyoung shook her head. “No, he seems nice. It’s just that…” she stopped for a second, figuring out how to put it into words. It was true. She and Hyunae used to talk about the Man Upstairs often and guessed at his life. Woohyun would join them sometimes too. And maybe it was also true that Jinyoung was attracted to that man or the idea of him, the fantasies that they came up with. But the Man Upstairs was Sungyeol, and Sungyeol was, well, Jinyoung had no idea what kind of person he was yet. “I don’t know him,” she finally concluded. “I can’t like someone that I don’t know.”

Jinyoung felt the couch move underneath her. Hyunae had gotten up. “You don’t seem like yourself right now,” her friend said. And Jinyoung knew what that meant. She wasn’t acting as bright or as excited as she usually was. No, now she was drained, with barely enough energy to keep her smile floating on her face. Tonight had worn her out tremendously and probably would continue to do so, with this dark secret weighing her down. Hyunae watched her friend pitifully and stroked her head. “You must be exhausted. Get some sleep, okay? You’ll feel more like yourself tomorrow.” She then waved. “Thank for keeping me company.”

“Anytime! Good night, Hyunae!” Jinyoung used the last of her cheerfulness to say goodbye to her friend. When the door closed behind Hyunae and Jinyoung was alone, she frowned and furrowed her brows, thinking over everything again and again. She probably fell asleep like that, brow wrinkled, heart uneasy.

_ Tomorrow, everything will be like it was. I will be myself again _ .

* * *

But Jinyoung woke up like that as well, but this time it was because she was confused and not concerned. It was early in the morning and her phone was ringing.  _ I’m not late for anything, am I? There’s no meeting, right? _

“Oh,” she gasped when she read the caller id. Jinyoung immediately answered the phone after fumbling around with it. She had to take this. “Yewonnie? What is it?”

“I’m sorry. Am I bothering you?” Yewon’s small voice came through the speaker.

“No, not at all,” Jinyoung spoke, voice still heavy with sleep, and rolled out of bed.

“I can call you like this?” Yewon asked.

“Eung,” Jinyoung hummed as she headed into the kitchen. She was going to need a lot of coffee today. She had a feeling about it. “What’s up?”

Yewon sniffed on the other side of the line. Jinyoung bit her lip after turning her coffeemaker on.  _ She’s been crying again _ . “I had another nightmare,” Yewon confessed.

Jinyoung pulled the phone away from her face so that the receiver couldn’t catch her yawn. When she was done, she settled her phone in between her shoulder and her cheek. “Tell me about it.”

* * *

_ I have to keep this a secret. It’s a secret. I can’t tell anybody _ . Jinyoung let out a long, haggard breath. She was at work now, sitting at her desk, fingers running through her hair. Her lips were pursed closed after she let out the breath, as if she’d be afraid for anything else to come out. _ This is going to much harder than I thought _ , Jinyoung thought as she dropped her hands and picked up her pen again. She had been grading the latest assignment, but her focus was scattered and still was. Now she was just tapping her pen against the desk as she stared blankly out into space.  _ How could Yewon keep it to herself for so long? _

“Jin-Jin-Jinyoungie!”

“Oh!” Jinyoung yelped and jumped in her seat, dropping the pen onto the floor. But coworker (and her scarer) kindly bent over to pick it up for her. While he was bent down, Jinyoung pretended to hit him, but she still didn’t hit him for real. She couldn’t, not to this sweetheart, especially after how he made her effortlessly smile for the first time today. “Jang Dongwoo! You scared me!” she exclaimed. Dongwoo popped back up, showing his toothy (and apologetic) grin and handing over the pen. “How's it going?”

“Well,” Dongwoo quickly answered and plopped down in the seat at the desk next to hers. He grunted as he turned the chair around and shuffled it more closely to hers. When he was satisfied, he cocked his head and his smile shrank a fraction. “How about you? You look down.”

“I’m just tired,” she excused herself and yawned, as if that would be evidence enough. She then shook her head. “I can’t seem to wake up,” she murmured after she stopped shaking.  _ I can’t snap out of this funk either.  _

Dongwoo then grew serious and dramatically placed one hand on her shoulder. Jinyoung raised her eyebrows at him, silently asking him what he was up to. But he didn’t respond and remained grave as he laid his other hand on her other shoulder. Dongwoo then began shaking her. “Wake up!” he shouted. Although Jinyoung was being tossed about violently by her friend, he couldn’t take the smile off of her face. It only grew when Dongwoo stopped, hands still on her shoulders, and asked, “Did that help?”

“Actually, it did,” she admitted. Her head felt a lot clearer and her heart lighter. Jang Dongwoo was kind of like the sun and now he was giving off Vitamin D. Jinyoung needed to absorb every bit of vitamin-induced happiness that she could get. “Do it again!” she urged him. And she didn’t have to ask twice. Dongwoo was more than happy to shake his friend again.

That was until someone came up from behind them and cleared his throat. Dongwoo’s hands immediately dropped from her and fled into his lap when the intruder asked, “What are you guys doing?”

Jinyoung turned around, still smiling and reeling from being tossed about. “Oh, I didn’t notice you. Kim seonsaeng-nim, do you need anything?” she returned his question with another. It was useless to explain Jang Dongwoo’s actions to anyone. The fact that he was Jang Dongwoo spoke enough for him.

And Sunggyu seemed to accept Jinyoung’s avoidance as an answer. “I just had a question for you, Hong seonsaeng-nim,” he told her, quickly glancing over at Dongwoo.

He got the hint and stood up. “Okay, I’ll let you guys talk,” Dongwoo announced and began to make his way out of the room. “Jinyoung, bye bye!” he said with a wave when he went past her.

“Bye bye!” Jinyoung repeated back, just as cutely.

Dongwoo then turned to Sunggyu. “Hey, let’s...” he paused to mimic drinking. “...later.”

“Eung. Call,” Sunggyu muttered back and raised his hand to say ‘bye’ to his friend. With that, Dongwoo left. Without his presence, Jinyoung began drifting back into her funk. She had no distraction anymore, no light to chase away her dark and dreary thoughts.

“What?” Sunggyu mumbled. Jinyoung raised her head and her gaze to him. Sunggyu looked as dark as she felt. “You looked happy with Dongwoo. Why do you look upset now?”

“I’m not,” she denied, shaking her head. At that, Sunggyu shook his own, at her, not believing a word she said. Jinyoung glowered at him. “I’m fine, seriously.” Perhaps frowning more did little to prove that she was ‘just fine.’ Sunggyu just set his jaw and raised an eyebrow in response, questioning her again with his steady gaze. Jinyoung sputtered. That face! She’d seen it before. Actually, she’d seen it a lot recently. She’d replayed it over and over again. The MV. Sunggyu sitting in the dark car and looking over at the camera, trying to look cool but instead looks...Jinyoung couldn’t hold it in any longer and let her roaring laugh rip through her throat.

“What is it now?” Sunggyu sounded more confused than concerned (or maybe he was concerned for her mental well being, going from darkness to a 1000 watt lightbulb in no time at all).

“The video,” she squeaked out in between her laughter. Sunggyu’s eye twitched at that. “I watched it. Many times. You’re funny,” she was able to talk more as her laughter started to dissipate. But now tears were running down her face. She’d laughed too hard.

Sunggyu’s eyes were still twitching. “I was only doing what I was told,” he defended himself.

Now Jinyoung felt slightly guilty for laughing at him so much. “I know. I know but…” she paused to take a deep breath and wipe her tears away. Once she took in a deep breath, she continued, like an exhale, “It’s funny.”

A corner of Sunggyu’s mouth quirked up into a half-smile and he looked down, flipping through the stack of papers in his hands. “Well, at least it’s good for making you laugh,” he muttered, more to himself than to Jinyoung. His eyes then glanced up at her.  “Callbacks are tonight after classes.”

Jinyoung gasped and reprimanded herself by knocking her fist against her head. How could she forget? “Oh thanks! I almost forgot,” she responded. Well, she knew how she’d forgotten.  _ I really need to get my head on straight _ .

“I  _ knew _ you would,” Sunggyu spoke like he’d just won her over at something. “You’re only good at remembering the past and not present things.” At that, Jinyoung snorted again. She quickly tried to catch and stifle her growing giggles by clamping her hand over her mouth. But they became too strong for her, racking through her whole body. “What are you doing? Stop thinking about it!” Sunggyu raised his voice to a shout after realizing what Jinyoung was laughing at...again.

“You said ‘past’ and then…” Jinyoung couldn’t continue. She busted into a loud laugh. The images from the MV flooded her mind again, Sunggyu’s expressions, his dancing, his outfits, his...“Your hair was so…”

“I got it. I got it,” Sunggyu cut her off in a loud voice. “Forget that I said anything,” he grumbled lowly. Jinyoung nodded, agreeing to that, and sealed her lips. She’d forgotten that Sunggyu didn’t want his idol past to be leaked and wash through the school like a tsunami, which it would if it ever got out. It would be best to keep the laughing at her colleague at a minimum as to not rouse suspicion. But gosh, that would be hard. Jinyoung felt like laughing again, recalling his growling-like singing, but she refrained and smiled instead, still hiding it behind her hand. Sunggyu seemed contented with that and gave a small smile. “I’ll see you at the callbacks.”

“Yes,” Jinyoung chirped back. When he left and returned to his own desks, Jinyoung looked back down at her assignments. Now there definitely wasn’t time to grade them before the next class started. But that was life. Lately there seemed to be a lot of things outside of her control. At least Jinyoung felt content now, and had something new to concentrate on. 

_ The callbacks...that will be fun! _

* * *

Her newly found contentment waned throughout the morning, and Jinyoung became curt with her students. And her kids didn’t know quite what to do with a cranky Jinyoung. They looked as if their beloved, old dog just snapped at their hands for being pet the wrong way (even Youngtaek kept his mouth clamped shut the entire period and dared not to move an inch from his seat). And Jinyoung regretted it and apologized to her class when the bell rang. But the apology did little to rid her guilt. What could she do now though? What was done is done. 

Jinyoung closed her eyes and exhaled greatly when the last student went out the door. After resting for a second, she opened her eyes again and began picking up her students’ in class essays that they’d left on their desks. More grading was exactly what she needed. Maybe if she kept herself busy enough, she could push other things into the back of her mind. But then one thought sprang to the forefront when Jinyoung picked up a paper only to see the word ‘Snuggly’ scrawled into the desk, surrounded by hearts. 

The students, they really adored this ‘Snuggly,’ who was warm and gentle, even to students on the verge of breaking down (she thought back to Jiyeon in the practice room). Unlike Jinyoung who just snapped at her students for not responding quickly enough or incorrectly. The teacher leaned onto the neighboring desk, with her eyes fixed on ‘Snuggly.’ Jinyoung would probably never have her name carved so carefully into a desk, even though she was young and pretty (she’s been told by others that she was and had no reason to doubt them). She was just the History teacher, just forgettable, like she had been when she was in high school herself. 

Jinyoung would probably come across Dongwoo’s name first. She heard several of her female students gossip about the Science teacher’s wild but attractive looks, his odd charisma. He didn’t have as many fans as ‘Snuggly’ did, but at least more than Jinyoung did. Chilgoo probably had more followers too. Some took to the Drama teacher, who was older and a bit ordinary but kind. Even he had an unforgettable presence.

_ Will the kids even remember me when they graduate? _ she found herself wondering all of the sudden. Will my colleagues notice if I were to leave? was her next thought. 

Although she and Dongwoo had a friendly and playful relationship, it never really extended beyond the four walls of this school. He tended to keep his work and personal life separate. He had his work friends with whom he’d interact during the day, and then he had his own set of friends from schools and other connections, with whom he’d pass the nights. There was only one exception to this, ‘Snuggly.’ Dongwoo would always invite Sunggyu to drink with him and never extended it to Jinyoung.

_ Snuggly, always Snuggly _ , Jinyoung frowned deeply and glared at the scrawl on the desk.  _ He’s everyone’s favorite _ .

* * *

Even now in the faculty lounge, the old women were flocking over to Snuggly, making offerings to him as if her were some sort of god. But of course, they wanted something from him in exchange. “Sunggyu,” Hwang called out to him affectionately. “Are you enjoying the lunch that I made?”

“Mmm,” Sunggyu hummed with a mouthful of food. Jinyoung a few meters away, watching this all, rolled her eyes. Sunggyu was acting cute for the Chinese teacher like he would for his own mother. And that thought made Jinyoung smirk. Being Sunggyu’s mother(-in-law) was exactly was Hwang wanted.

“Have you seen you seen my daughter recently?” the Chinese teacher had already trying to lay the trap down for Sunggyu to walk in. The man had a mouth full of food and could only grunt indiscernibly in response. Hwang pulled out her phone. “This is her Instagram. Isn’t she pretty?” This time, Sunggyu nodded along with his grunt. But Jinyoung shook her head at his answer and returned to grading her papers. Although she wasn’t watching the trap slowly encircle the Music teacher, Jinyoung still kept her ear sharp. But it was getting harder to overhear. Hwang’s voice dropped lower and lower, “My daughter...with you...one day.” Jinyoung only caught little bites of the conversation, but it was enough for her to grasp the gist of it.  _ So she finally asked _ , Jinyoung thought as she puffed out her cheeks and flipped over the assignment that she just graded. She then craned her neck, trying to sneak a peek of Sunggyu’s response. And then she saw, another, small nod. Jinyoung’s gaze fell back down to her papers and sighed. Sunggyu had fallen into the trap.

“Sunggyu-yah!” Jinyoung knew that voice very well. The Art teacher came waddling up to man. “Here, have this. It’ll give you energy for the callbacks tonight. You need to be sharp.” Jinyoung peeked over her desk again, nearly falling out of her seat, to see Sooryun give a vitamin drink to the Music teacher.

“Oh!” Jinyoung gasped. “I’m going tonight too!” she announced, putting her hand in the air.

The Art teacher slowly turned over towards her, hands behind her back and cackling. “Sorry, Jinyoungie. I only had one,” she didn’t sound too apologetic. She then gestured over towards Sunggyu and said, “He needs it more.” To which, Sunggyu began nodding once more, a cocky grin spreading across his face as he made a show of drinking the vitamin drink for Jinyoung, who could only take out her dissatisfaction on her pen, gripping it tightly.  _ He looks like a bobblehead. And her _ , Jinyoung’s eyes went over to the old lady.  _ I’m covering for her!  _ The old lady didn’t care. She just told her friend to walk with her, and then the two women left, leaving Sunggyu and Jinyoung alone in the teachers’ offices, which meant it was time for Jinyoung to set a little trap of her own.

She stood up. “Hwang always gives you food,” she stated.

Sunggyu was startled; he didn’t expect Jinyoung to start talking to him. He quickly put down his food and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he answered. “She’s very nice,” he replied. Jinyoung tilted her head as she walked over to his desk. He  _ had _ to know about Hwang Jinyi’s hidden agenda. Subtlety was not her strong suit. She was just weeks away from calling Sunggyu her son-in-law, by “accident” of course. Did he willingly fall into the trap? Is her daughter that pretty? Sunggyu hooked his arm over the back of his chair as he turned to face Jinyoung walking towards him. “I’m far away from home, and I don’t really cook. So...yea,” he ended with an embarrassed laugh.

“Did you forget?” Jinyoung challenged when she was finally at his side. “I  _ always _ live the furthest away!” she reminded him, loudly, with a hand over her heart. “And I don’t like cooking. I  _ know _ you can cook too. This isn’t fair,” she grumbled and casted a glance down at his desk. Jinyi didn’t just give him a meal; she prepared an entire feast for him. Jinyoung licked her lips. _ I could extend that for a few meals, not have to cook for a day or so. _

“Are you jealous?” Sunggyu asked as he showed the food, taking a large spoonful and shoving it in his mouth.

And Jinyoung’s eyes were fixed on that spoon, watching the food disappear.  She gulped as if she were eating it herself. “It’s not fair,” she grumbled, barely moving her lips. She wasn’t about to admit that she was envious of Sunggyu, or confess how far that envy extended.

“Do you want me to tell them that you don’t know how to cook? Make food for you too?” Sunggyu offered through his full mouth and then continued chewing. Jinyoung scoffed. He probably did have enough sway over the women that they would make extra food if he asked for it (well, maybe not Hwang because of her agenda).

“I can! I can cook!” Jinyoung objected, slapping the side of his desk for emphasis. “I never said that I couldn’t!  I mean, cooking isn’t hard. But…as a girl, they expect me to enjoy it. They’ll look down on me if I say that I don’t,” she explained herself. Jinyoung then folded her arms and tried to do her best Jinyi impression: “How will you get a husband if you can’t cook?”

“Ah, that’s a good point,” Sunggyu spoke as if he agreed with that age-old idea. Jinyoung shot him a nasty glare, to which he put his hands up, defenseless. “I’m kidding,” he confessed. “Besides, people don’t think like that anymore, do they?”

Jinyoung shrugged. “Let’s not risk it,” she responded. After that, she crouched down, moving closer to the other. “Don’t tell them, and just give me this,” she whispered with a cheeky grin and reached for the boxes of food.

And Sunggyu pulled them away from her. “Ah, no! This is mine!” he yelled and then slapped her hands away from them.

“Just this once, please!” Jinyoung begged, now on her knees, hands clasped together. “I have no food at home. I’m so hungry,” she tried to make herself as pitiful as possible, pouting too.

“Go buy some food.” Unfortunately Kim Sunggyu was a heartless man.

“Fine,” Jinyoung muttered as she got back up onto her feet. Then her jaw dropped when she looked over at the door. “Oh,” she gasped, pointing towards the doorway. “You have a student.” And she wasn’t lying.

“Oh, Joochan, what is it?” Sunggyu asked the student after he turned around. And while that back was turned, Jinyoung struck, piling up as many boxes as she could carry on top of each other and then running back over to her desk. And best of all, Snuggly couldn’t cause a fuss about it because he was with a student. Jinyoung smirked as she unloaded her booty onto her desk. Snuggly, that fool, he fell for two traps today.

However, Jinyoung could only eat a few bites before her guilt filled the rest of her stomach. This win wasn’t as satisfying as she thought it would be. This food wasn’t meant for her. She tried to steal away someone’s expression of affection for someone else, and Jinyoung couldn’t get that affection by eating this.  _ You don’t win people over by doing this _ , Jinyoung, she reprimanded herself as she packed up the dishes.  _ You’re being petty. _  She raised her head, looking at the teacher giving advice to his student.  _ And Sunggyu did nothing to deserve this.  _

Jinyoung got up from her desk and placed the food back onto Sunggyu’s desk, while he was still talking to Joochan. Without a word, she left the office.

But she did hear one more thing before she left: “What is that woman trying to do?”

_ Trying to be as liked as you are _ .

* * *

Sunggyu didn’t mention Jinyoung’s short-lived thievery later that day when they got together again for the callbacks, but there also wasn’t much time to talk about anything other than the musical before the second round of auditions began. Chilgoo once again tried to take the helm and control the auditions, and strangely enough, Sunggyu didn’t put up a fight this time. He just sat there and let the Drama teacher explain to the students the procedure of the callbacks. And while he was explaining, Jinyoung watched the Music teacher’s expression carefully. He seemed resigned, and slightly pained as he watched the Drama teacher live up to his title as he talked to the students about the ‘glory of the theater.’

And while Chilgoo was off on his monologue, Jinyoung leaned over to Sunggyu and whispered, “I’m surprised that you’re letting him go off like this. I think all of us would be grateful if you cut him off like at the auditions, when you two were fighting to be the lead of this musical yourselves.”

Sunggyu snorted, finally looking like he had a bit of life in him. He turned his head and whispered back, “I’m letting him have this. The real fight starts after he’s done. The students will do it for us.”

“Hm?”

“After the auditions, the students come to us to prepare, and they tend to come to one more than the other,” Sunggyu explained in a low, hissing voice. “So we’re pitting our favorite students against each other.”

“Oh,” Jinyoung remarked with a grin. “I get it.”

“So when my students beat his students on the stage, that’s when I win and become the ‘lead’ of this musical,” Sunggyu finished and then pulled away.

Jinyoung did too, but with a scoff and crossing her arms over her chest. “When?” she pointed out. “That’s cocky.”

Sunggyu leaned back in his chair and nodded. “That’s because I usually do,” he retorted.

“Right, because if your students land the role, it’s  _ all _ because of you and not because of their talent and their determination,” Jinyoung spoke sarcastically, but Sunggyu decided to take it as fact and nodded in agreement. Jinyoung scoffed again. This bobblehead. But then she recalled a moment when the snuggly bobblehead was less cocky and more serious, when he was in the practice room yesterday with a student. “Wait a second, Jiyeon came to  _ you _ ,” Jinyoung realized. Sunggyu’s head continued to bob. “Is she one of your favorites?”

“As of late, yes,” Sunggyu finally spoke. “She has potential. Like a flower bud about to bloom, some would say,” he ended with a cheeky grin. 

_ Me! I would say that! _ Jinyoung’s eyes widened as she just stared at him for a few moments.  _ What is this bobblehead trying to do? _

“Ahem,” someone cleared his throat a few feet in front of them. Sunggyu and Jinyoung whipped their heads towards the front of the theater, where Chilgoo and the students were staring right back at them. “If you guys are done chit-chatting, we can begin,” the Drama teacher thrust the spotlight onto the both of them. This time Jinyoung joined Sunggyu in the nodding, and both zipped their lips tightly so that the callbacks could get started.

* * *

The callbacks really were like a battle on the stage. The students gave it their all. Youngtaek came prepared with an outfit suitable enough for the dorky wannabe dentist, and a new personality to go with it. His shoulders were hunched and his voice was nasally. Chilgoo instructed him well, or so he would say (Jinyoung knew that this fell perfectly in line with Youngtaek’s usual antics). Youngtaek would be their Dennis.

The following win went to Sunggyu. It was for the role of Miss Sandra, the alluring curator. Mijoo, under Chilgoo’s tutelage, was sexy but too sexy, over the top. She was comical which would be perfect, if the role didn’t call for a women who wanted to be taken seriously for once in her life, in spite of her sexy body. Jisoo was more subtle, and it was helpful that she had a bit of a nerdy side to her, which they all became aware of when she dressed as Doctor Strange for Halloween last year. So even though Sunggyu ‘won’ this round, Jinyoung knew that the decision really came down to the girls’ personalities. Neither of the teachers could control that. But Jinyoung kept it to herself as she put in her vote. The subtle trash-talking between the two men was entertaining, and making this long process more enjoyable for her.

Joochan was more or less of a draw. Sunggyu and Chilgoo both instructed him and he was unanimously chosen as Elvis, which also happened because his ‘competitor’ was a no-show. As it turned out, Jinyoung’s ‘rose’ did have a thorny, edgy side and could swivel his hips surprisingly well.

Who won the role of Sylvia was also a unanimous choice and a surprising one. A young first year student, trying out for her first musical had a voice far more mature than her years, and more mature than her behaviors. After finishing her audition, Myungeun apologized, pouting deeply like a baby, because she didn’t think that she did her best. Little did she know that her performance had won them all over from the second that she opened her mouth. And that was how a first year beat out her senior for the role of a barmaid.

The last round of auditions, for the role of Natalie, went a bit differently from the rest. They sang a solo song, but they also sang with Joochan. Sujeong and Soyoon performed admirably, especially the latter whose voice blended beautifully with their ‘Elvis.’ Sunggyu nudged Jinyoung to make sure that she noticed it too. She did, muttering “I know, I know,” below her breath with a sneer.

And then it was Jiyeon’s turn. She was the last of them all to audition, and it showed. All of that waiting made her nervous. Her hand quivered as her voice lifted the microphone to her mouth. But her voice was steady when she sang ‘Fools Fall in Love.’ And her eyes, they showed so much emotion. It touched Jinyoung, sending goosebumps up her arms and making her shiver. Sunggyu noticed it and sniggered, probably wanting to take credit for Jiyeon’s drastic improvement. But Jinyoung wouldn’t let him. This was all Jiyeon. This was her shining moment. She was their Natalie, and Jinyoung had known it all along.

The discussion after this round of auditions went much more smoothly and ended in a fraction of the time. It was obvious who should win each role, and so there were no battles to fight. Sunggyu had been right about that: the real battles for the roles took place on the stage.

And Chilgoo was grateful for ending early. The three of them were walking out of the school just in time to see the sun before it set. “This was the easiest process since this guy joined,” he remarked and gestured back at Sunggyu with his thumb. “And it's all thanks to you, Hong seonsaeng-nim,” he finished, wrapping both of his hands around one of Jinyoung’s and shaking it warmly.

“It was nothing,” Jinyoung responded with a nervous laugh and slipped her hand away from the man.

“You're only saying that because she agreed with you most of the time,” Sunggyu argued, still feeling sore from last time. Jinyoung snorted.  _ He can really hold a grudge. _

Chilgoo thought the same. “You'd feel the same way if the shoe was on the other foot,” he told the Music teacher. Then he took a step back and waved to the other two. “Well, everyone, good night!” Chilgoo spoke with a bright smile and then left out of the school’s gate leaving the other two in his dust as he jogged down the street to go home.

After he left, Jinyoung called out to the other before he could run off too, “Kim seonsaeng-nim.” Perhaps she called his name a bit too loud because Sunggyu was startled. He wasn’t that far away from her. He was standing right at her side. Jinyoung’s mouth quirked up into a quick smile before saying, “You know that I didn't mean to go against you on purpose.” She’d rather not have a grudge against her.

“I know. I know,” Sunggyu muttered. He then let out a great sigh as his eyes flickered over to her. “I guess we don't match well.” 

“Well, I wouldn't say that,” Jinyoung refuted. “We  _ have _ to agree on something.” After all, they were in the same profession at the same place. They  _ had _ to have something more in common, something besides the school that they could agree on.

Sunggyu turned and squared up to her, staring at her with his eyes narrowed. But Jinyoung didn’t back down and stared back at him, with an awkward smile widening every second that passed. Sunggyu scoffed and began walking down the street. Jinyoung followed him, mostly because her bus was in the same direction as his apartment, but also a small part was curious about what was going through his mind now. Was he really  _ that _ convinced that they had nothing in common? Sunggyu then stopped suddenly and faced her again. “Chicken or pizza. 1, 2, 3...Chicken!”

“Pizza!” Jinyoung chirped happily as the other gave his answer. Once she heard his, she laughed. “Uh oh,” slipped into her giggles. “How about…” she thought for a moment. And when one finally came to mind, she snapped her finger. “Americano or cafe latte! 1, 2, 3...cafe latte!”

“Americano!” his voice drowned out hers, but he still managed to hear her answer. He scrunched his face at her answer. “Eh,” he grumbled like a curse and started walking again, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. “See. We don’t match well.”

“No, wait!” Jinyoung objected and stepped in front of him. Once again, Sunggyu was startled by her, but he quickly was confused by her actions. She held up a finger. “I got one that we’ll  _ definitely  _ agree on. Trust me,” she spoke the last two words in English, as if they would mean more in that language. “Okay?”

Sunggyu snorted. “What is it?” he gave into her.

“Heartthrob or Big Bang!” Jinyoung announced with a proud smile. “1, 2, 3!”

“Heartthrob!” this time they finally said the answer in unison. 

“You’re lying,” Sunggyu retorted as he began walking again. 

Jinyoung walked backwards for a few steps. “I’m not,” she insisted. After a few steps, and after realizing that she couldn’t keep up with the man like this, Jinyoung spun around and walked with him normally. “I swear!” she practically shouted because judging by the look on Sunggyu’s face, he didn’t hear her denial.

“You’ve only seen one MV!” Sunggyu objected.

“But it’s the best...MV...I’ve ever seen,” Jinyoung couldn’t say that without crumbling into a giggle it. But she wasn’t lying. That MV had quickly become her favorite, even though it was for all of the wrong reasons.

“See, you can’t even say that with a straight face,” unfortunately Sunggyu thought that she was laughing because she wasn’t telling the truth.

So Jinyoung pursed her lips tightly, fighting back all of the giggles rising up inside of her and choking them back down. And after exhaling deeply and feeling like she had herself under control, she tried her best to convince him with a steady voice and gaze, “I like you more than I like G Dragon. Seriously.”

Sunggyu halted in his steps once more. He slowly glanced over at Jinyoung, with something odd behind his eyes which made Jinyoung wonder,  _ Did I say something weird? Why did he stop? Oh _ ...They’d already reached his building. She stared up at his building, disbelieving that they were already here.And Jinyoung had unintentionally walked him home. 

“We could go back and forth about this all night,” Sunggyu said in a soft tone as he laid the matter to rest. “I’m leaving. Night,” he spoke to her casually, raising his hand up before he turned around to enter the building.

“Good night, Kim seonsaeng-nim,” Jinyoung wished him before he reached his door, speaking formally to him as she always had. It was a habit.

But maybe it didn’t seem that way to Sunggyu. He looked back at her, and even in this dimming daylight, Jinyoung could make out the frown creasing his forehead. “Good night, Hong seonsaeng-nim,” he replied and shut the door behind him.

* * *

It was a long bus ride home, which gave Jinyoung too much time to think. The start of the day had put her into a funk, with a dark mood that was strange for her. But at the day wore on, Jinyoung first was content and then, finally, happy. She felt more like herself. However, now that the sun was setting, her mood was going down with it, swirling back down into that funk. 

_ Did I say the wrong thing? _

* * *

“Oh, Jinyoung-ssi!” she heard him shout at her before she noticed the Man Upstairs standing outside of their building, with fluffy little Aga in his arms. “Just the woman that I was looking for! This is fate.”

“Huh? You were looking for me?” Jinyoung asked as she approached him. 

“Yes,” he responded with a bright smile. 

“Why?”

“Because of this little stinker,” he answered as he jostled a dozing puppy in his arms. Sungyeol then looked back up at Jinyoung. “My boss is making me go on a business trip with him, to assess other branches in a couple towns down south, and I have to leave my little girl.”

“That’s so sad,” Jinyoung said with a pout and reached over to stroke that poor little girl’s head.

“You said that if I ever need a sitter that you would help, so could you?” he begged. His eyes were just as round and innocent as the puppy in his arms. “I don’t really have any other option.”

Jinyoung grinned. “Of course, I will. I can’t let this little sweetheart be alone,” she took up his offer.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Sungyeol asks her to dog sit. “And that’s why I brought this home with me,” he said as he dug through his hoodie pocket. After a short search, he found what he was looking for, a thin flimsy envelope. “Here. Payment. Take it,” he urged her bruskly.

“Hm,” Jinyoung hummed as she took it, while eyeing the other curiously, but Sungyeol never let his cheeky smile drop. And she never stopped staring at him out of the corner of her eye as she tore open the envelope. Once it was open, Jinyoung glanced down and saw a three large bills laying inside. She quickly raised her head back up. _ Is he insane? Why is he paying me this much? _ She looked back down, blinking, quickly as she pulled the bills out. Wait, there was something off about them. The feel of them was different as was the color, just a shade too dark.  _ They’re fake! _ And that sent a great smile across her face. “You remembered!”

“Of course!” Sungyeol answered. “It’s not everyday when someone asks me to give them these,” his voice was laced with a laugh and he bent over to put Aga down. “I’ll really pay you when I get back.”

“Okay,” Jinyoung chirped as she put the envelope in her pocket. The two of them then turned to go inside.

“What do you want the counterfeits for anyway,” Sungyeol asked from a step or two below her. It was strange. Jinyoung was used to following  _ him _ up the stairs. It felt nice to be watched going up the stairs for once.

Jinyoung craned her neck back and said, “I told you. I want to trick someone with them.”

Sungyeol sniggered at that. “Okay, be careful though. You might commit a felony by accident,” he warned her. 

“I will,” Jinyoung promised. She then hopped off of the stairs. “Well, this is my stop,” she announced to the other. “I’ll see you later, especially you,” she bent down to talk to the pup.

“I’ll give you instructions and my key in your mailbox,” Sungyeol told her. “Can you start tomorrow night?”

“Of course! I’ll come home straightaway,” after the long bus ride of course, but Jinyoung was going to keep this promise.

“You’re a lifesaver, Jinyoung-ssi. An Aga-saver,” Sungyeol kept talking to her as he walked up the stairs. “Good night!”   
“Good night!” Jinyoung hollered back. 

While she walked to her apartment, she couldn’t stop looking at the envelope. Honestly, Jinyoung was surprised that Sungyeol remembered. She herself had forgotten her request. Maybe it just stuck with Sungyeol because it was an odd request, or maybe, just maybe, it stuck with him for one reason in particular.

_ The Man Upstairs...does he like me? _ Jinyoung giggled at that thought. “No,” she denied aloud as she stuffed the envelope back in her pocket and pulled out her key. “Or...he could. I’m pretty, why not?” she muttered to herself. So while Jinyoung still didn’t know how she felt about Sungyeol, it seemed like he made up his mind already.

* * *

Or had he really? 

When Jinyoung came back from a long day at school, which was made even longer by the sets (too many people were still coming), she found the instructions in her mailbox and immediately rushed up the stairs to rescue Aga. Jinyoung was excited, heart racing with every step she took. She was finally going UP, to the Man Upstairs’ place. She and Hyunae talked for hours what his place would be like, and now she was finally going to see it. 

It was a bit disappointing when she opened the door, only because it was your average apartment. There was no booby traps at the door, no chocolate fountains, none of the things her and her friend imagined would be there. However, there was a puppy that really wanted to go outside. Jinyoung set Aga free from her pen and began looking for her leash. And that’s when she saw it. Out of everything she and Hyunae came up with, this wasn’t one of them: a picture of Sungyeol with a woman, kissing her.  _ He has a girlfriend _ . Jinyoung sighed as she grabbed the leash that was right next to the photo. _ Of course, he does. Why wouldn’t he? _

_ No one likes me. Not like that. I’m no one’s favorite. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Jang Dongwoo appears, as well as some other familiar names, I hope. I didn't really intended for this chapter to be so long, but it didn't feel complete until I got ALLLLLLLLL the way to the end. I hope that you enjoyed it.


	4. Night out with Snuggly and Friend

Jinyoung honestly couldn't say that she was broken up when she learned that the Man Upstairs had a girlfriend. After all, she hadn't decided to like him yet. But she was disappointed. Her fantasy of the Man Upstairs had completely shattered and what was left was the Man Name Sungyeol, whom she truly knew nothing about. 

She looked down at the puppy at her feet.  _ I probably know more about you than him now _ . Which was most likely true. Thanks to Sungyeol’s detailed instructions, Jinyoung knew when and what Aga ate, what her favorite toys were, and that she couldn't do as long of walks as Jinyoung liked to take. Jinyoung learned the last one on her own. Aga was laying down in the middle of the street just after 10 minutes of walking. Jinyoung sighed as she picked the puppy up and cradled her in her arms as she continued down the street. She’d started this walk with a destination in mind and she was set on going, whether she'd have to carry her companion the rest of the way or not. And within the next few minutes, she reached the shop. “You couldn't even last this long, could you?” Jinyoung teased the little puppy in her arms. She then poked her head through the shop door. “Is it okay if I bring a dog in here?”

The worker looked over at the door and smiled. “A puppy that cute, yes! Come on in!”

And Jinyoung was glad to hear it. She didn't think she'd have the gumption to make this trip a second time. It was a music store, an older one that seemed to be stuck in a time warp. It'd be a gamble if it was in here, such an old album with probably only a few copies made. Jinyoung didn't even know where to look. 

“Is there something in particular that you’re looking for?” the worker asked when Jinyoung had been just wavering at the front of the store.

“Yes,” Jinyoung answered but she was a bit sheepish to admit what she was looking for.  _ How else will I know it's here? _ “Do you happen to have any...Heartthrob albums?”

“Heartthrob?” the worker repeated. “I've never heard of them,” she muttered under her breath and scanned the store, wondering herself where the age-old Idol band would be. 

Jinyoung smirked. If she couldn't recall Heartthrob, there was no way that this young worker had ever heard of them. “They’re an old idol band. They've disbanded years and years ago. I don't know if you even have them.”

“We might in the back room. Let me check the inventory,” the worker offered and disappeared behind the desk. 

While the worker searched, there was nothing for Jinyoung to do but wait and browse the shop, and to carry Aga around because the puppy would rather sleep in her arms than to explore the store. _ What will I do if they don't have it? _ Jinyoung sighed. She probably could find one online, second hand. But the fan girl still living deep, deep inside of her wanted a brand new album. There was nothing as satisfying as ripping the plastic off of a new album, opening  a new era of a beloved band. She didn't want anyone to take that from her.

“Did you want a particular album or all four of them?” the worker asked.

“You have them?!” Jinyoung couldn't believe her luck. 

“Yes!” the worker responded just as excitedly. “It seems like we have some posters too. Would you…”

“Yes!” Jinyoung cut her off with a broad smile. “Please bring them all out!”

* * *

Jinyoung left the store with four new albums and two posters. It was hard to carry all of them and Aga in her arms, but she did it happily, with a spring in her step. She felt years younger again. And after dropping Aga off at her home, still fast asleep, Jinyoung snuck downstairs and dusted off her old CD player. If she was going to listen to old albums, she might as well do it the old-fashioned way, like she used to do in high school. Delicately she took the plastic off from the album and took out the disc, placing it in the player. And while the album’s intro was playing, Jinyoung thumbed through the photo booklet that came with it. It was rather small, as it was their first album and they were from a small company. But it brought Jinyoung great joy as she flipped through it. Her laughter drowned out the music blaring through her apartment. Heartthrob’s first concept just seemed to be “boy band,” and they were dressed in whatever their stylist thought was cool or edgy. And the boys posed in ways that suited their clothes, trying to be cool. Jinyoung had to put the booklet down when she came across Sunggyu’s solo photo. Why was he hunched over like that? And that shaved hair! It renewed her giggles all over again. And while that new fit was dying down, Jinyoung picked up the booklet again and scrutinized the photo once more. She sighed and closed the booklet. Jinyoung had to give Sunggyu some credit. It didn’t  _ feel  _ like her colleague in that photo. The face was his, but his aura had altered.  _ This isn’t the Snuggly that I know _ . No, he was Heartthrob’s main vocal.

Jinyoung walked over to her posters and unfurled one. The music shop actually had quite a few of them. Jinyoung was tempted to bring them all home, especially since the worker offered them to her for free because the posters were doing nothing but cluttering up the backroom. No, Jinyoung would let some other fan rescue those. But she took home two. One was a group photo from their third album. This time, the group finally had a concept, a cute one. They just looked so cheerful and happy that Jinyoung felt happier just by looking at it. She was going to put it up on the wall of her bedroom so that she can start the day with a smile on her face. However, the poster in her hands now wasn’t that one. This poster, it would probably collect dust in her own closet instead of the store’s, but she wanted to take it home, rescue it from that place. It was of just Sunggyu for his last album. _ I wonder if he knew, _ Jinyoung caught herself thinking. The man in this poster was closer to the one that she knew, but, he looked sad. He wasn’t frowning or anything, but a cloud of sadness seemed to envelope him.  _ I bet he knew _ , Jinyoung concluded as she rolled the poster back up. After all, he wasn’t just the main vocal of Heartthrob but the leader too. There was no way that the Sunggyu she knew hadn’t caught a whiff of disbandment in the air. Along with the sadness, there were airs of desperation. 

Jinyoung put that poster down and unrolled the other one, walking towards the bedroom as she did so. It cheered her up to see those smiling faces. And after tacking it up on the wall, Jinyoung smacked Sunggyu’s face in it. “You! You probably never thought that you’d see my bedroom, did you?” she joked. She smacked it again because it was fun. “And I was right about Jiyeon! I told you so! I...told...you!” Jinyoung smirked as she brought her hand back down. Yea, this was a good idea. She then walked out of the room, only to run back it and hit the poster again before she went back to Aga.

* * *

The rest of the weekend past much like that. When she wasn’t taking care of Aga, Jinyoung was cleaning in her apartment while listening to the albums on repeat. Occasionally, she’d stop by the Hyuns. And she’d go out to dinner with Yewon, which was starting to be a daily thing. Nights were hard for her friend, and Jinyoung made it easier for her, just with her presence alone. Yewon hadn’t had nightmares for days. Overall, the weekend was pleasant, and then it was over. Jinyoung had to go back to school.

And if her second class was indicative of anything, it was going to be a challenging week. Her students’ attention slipped through her fingers, like smoke. There was no way for her to gather it. It was that time of year when everyone fell into a slump, when everything felt monotonous, when no one could afford to care. And one particular student slipped down into that slump much further than the others. His head was on the desk, long arms draped over the edges. He was not only deep in the slump but also in sleep. And no matter how much Jinyoung raised her voice, or how excitedly she’d talk, the boy did not stir. Daeyeol, Jinyoung recalled his name the day after their first meeting for the sets. Daeyeol was the student who sat by himself in the theater, the one who looked out of place. But in spite of his appearance, Daeyeol kept coming back for every meeting and was becoming one of the more active members. He was still quiet and sullen, but he’d help Jinyoung gather materials and do other tasks, like cleaning paint brushes. And today, when she was planning on cleaning the prop closet with the students, she was sure that Daeyeol would be just as helpful as he normally was. 

And so she was confused as to why Daeyeol was sleeping now. It didn’t seem like him. And all of the rest of her students were confused that Jinyoung just let him sleep and never tried to wake him up. It looks like he needs it, she reasoned and tried to distract her students from their slumbering classmate in the corner and onto the chalkboard, where she was poorly drawing a map of Korea.

“Is that a dog?” Jaesuk asked.

“No!” Jinyoung objected and then tried to quickly draw Aga on the board. “That is a dog,” she declared, tapping on her wiggly drawn ‘Aga’ with a piece of chalk. She then pointed at her map. “This is  _ our  _ country.”

“They look the same,” Youngtaek argued.

“No, they...okay, they do just a bit,” Jinyoung finally gave in. “Good thing that I’m not your art teacher, huh?” A few students sniggered at that remark. Then the bell rang, signalling the end of class. “Thank god,” slipped through Jinyoung’s lips without knowing it. More of her students laughed at that, so she playfully told them, “Everyone, get out.” And they did, including Daeyeol. Jinyoung’s voice had passed right through him, but the bell got him up and out of his seat. As he passed by her, he mumbled out an apology, rubbing his tired eyes, and told her that he’d see her after school. Jinyoung nodded and let him go. “I wish I could just sleep through class,” she remarked once she was alone and yawned. “These students don’t know how lucky they are.”

* * *

Her feeling had been correct: it was a challenging week in many ways. Neither she or her students ever surmounted over the slump. Daeyeol kept turning her class into nap time. The nights were long too. It took her and the students days to clean out the closet, and they pulled out the things that they could use for the musical. And several times, Jinyoung had to pull the portrait of Chilgoo back into the closet because students kept taking it out. “I thought you didn’t want the sets to look cheesy,” Jinyoung reminded Jiae as she and Sujeong were dragging the portrait back out.

“But...look at it!” Jiae lamely argued.

“If we don’t use it, can I keep it?” Sujeong asked with such a deadpan expression that Jinyoung couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

And while Jinyoung was figuring that out, Daeyeol walked up to the two girls and pulled the portrait out of their hands. “Just put it back,” he muttered as he dragged it back inside.

Jiae pouted. “Daeyeol ruins all of the fun,” she grumbled and then followed the boy back into the closet. Jinyoung was happy that the comment wasn’t directed towards her because she was tired of saying ‘no’ to the students and was on the brink of giving in.

_ Maybe I should just give the blasted thing to Sujeong and be done with it.  _

But Chilgoo stayed in the closet, and the closet itself was organized and had room to move around. And just in time too because Jinyoung was sick of it.

And by the end of the week, Jinyoung was growing tired of one more thing. There was this heavy feeling, settling on her chest. She wanted to talk about  _ it _ with someone, someone who wasn’t Yewon.  _ But I promised _ , she reminded herself when she found herself opening her mouth to Hyunae, about to tell her everything. Then she’d close it and tell Hyunae that it was nothing.

And as much as Jinyoung loved having Yewon back in her life, being with her was trying at times. Jinyoung loved having dinner with her. It was always full of good conversation. But the nights and early mornings were filled with phone calls, from a friend too afraid to fall asleep lest she be haunted by those nightmares again. Jinyoung wanted to help, but maybe the burden of this whole situation was too much for both of them to carrying. 

But she couldn’t talk about it with anyone except Yewon. And Jinyoung felt stifled. 

She needed a distraction. And so when her students finished sketching the backdrop for the bar, Jinyoung called it a day. With the free time she had, Jinyoung walked around the hallways, looking for something to stick her nose into, and she found it. In a dance practice room, Jinyoung saw the musical’s cast learning their new dance moves, with Dongwoo in the front leading them.  _ Oh this is interesting. _ A smirk spread across her face, and Jinyoung cracked open the door and slipped inside the practice room.

There was a bench along the side of the room, and Jinyoung settled herself on it. If anyone questioned why she was there, she’d lie and say she needed inspiration for the sets. Or was that really a lie? She wanted to inspire a smile back onto her face. And this was surely doing the trick. Dongwoo was teaching the boys how to swivel their hips around and then showed the girls how to shimmy.  _ What is this? _ Jinyoung was biting her lips, keeping the laughter inside.

“What are you doing here?” 

Jinyoung let lips free from her teeth and pulled a tight smile across her face, flashing it to the man on the other side of the bench. Of course he’d be here too. “I finished early, and I wanted to see what was going on on your end,” it wasn’t the white lie that she had planned on telling, but what was the point of lying to Sunggyu. He was well aware of how curious she was.

Sunggyu slid down closer to her so that he could lean over and whisper, “It is quite a spectacle, isn't it?” He pulled away and Jinyoung could see him grimacing.

She finally let out the giggle that she’d been holding in. “Is this really the choreography?” she asked. The entire cast was now swinging their arms back and forth as they grape-vined across the room.

“No, I think that they're just warming up,” Sunggyu guessed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He brought up a finger to scratch his forehead. “I hope that they're just warming up,” he mumbled lowly with a short laugh.

“In any case,” Jinyoung began, changing the topic because he was starting to look very concerned. “I'm glad we’re doing this musical. Everyone wants to be a part of it. Like Dongwoo,” she gestured over to the man now leaping across the room and the students struggling to follow him. Jinyoung quickly moved on when she saw Sunggyu shaking his head out of the corner of her eye: “And the plot is fun. Cute. Sort of like a drama with all of the love lines darting around. Everyone will enjoy it.” She then twisted in her seat, turning towards the other. “Who chose this musical?”

“I did,” Sunggyu replied with a cocky grin.

“Really? Why?” Jinyoung blubbered in disbelief.  She furrowed her brows as she studied him, looking for any hint of an Elvis-fan in him. She saw none. “It seems like an odd choice for you.”

He appeared taken aback by that. “Why is that?”

“To be honest, I can't see you choosing  _ any _ musical,” she answered honestly. “You don't seem to be the musical type.”

“Well then you don't know me very well,” he spat back, arms tightened over his chest. “I was a musical actor for a few years.”

Jinyoung now turned towards him fully. “What? When?” she asked excitedly. She was oscillating between disbelief and enlightenment. On one hand, Sunggyu had never mentioned musicals before, aside from the ones that he directed, but one the other hand, he was Sunggyu. If he was an idol once, him being in musicals wasn’t too much of a stretch.

Sunggyu nodded, smiling at her reaction. “When I was in college. I actually was a part of  _ this _ musical once,” he revealed. Jinyoung actually gasped and gazed at him, eyes wide in anticipation, patiently waiting for…“I was Elvis.” That!

“You were Elvis?!” she didn’t care for how loud her voice was, how it carried throughout the room, unlike Sunggyu who quickly brought his finger to his lips and whose eyes darted right over to the students. But Jinyoung kept facing him and kept speaking, although now in a lower voice, “Blue suede shoes? Leather jacket? The whole thing?!” Sunggyu slowly lowered his finger and nodded slightly. He was so apprehensive right now. Actually, he often was. It was hard to imagine Sunggyu onstage, in front of hundreds, curling his lips and slicking back his hair. It was hard to imagine, but Jinyoung managed to do it anyway and bursted out laughing at the image her mind conjured up.

“What?! Why are you laughing now?” he asked, his eyes were on her, all over her, trying to figure her out.

“I'm just picturing it and…” her hands flew up to cover her mouth, holding back the rest of that sentence. Since her mouth was covered, Jinyoung snorted through her nose. She was smiling so much that her eyes closed and Sunggyu disappeared from her sight, but not her thoughts. Jinyoung imagined it again, Sunggyu in a white fringe jacket, pulling a comb out of his pocket. Then she opened her eyes again when she felt her hands being lowered from her mouth. Jinyoung saw Sunggyu putting a finger to his lips, again, and he lifted his other hand from hers. Trying to calm herself down before she attracted attention from the students who should be learning their dance, Jinyoung brought her hands into her lap and folded them. She then took a deep breath, straightening herself up, looking prim and proper before begging, “Please tell me that there are photos of this.”

Sunggyu eyed her cautiously before responding, “None that you’ll ever see.” And he dashed all of her hopes.

But Jinyoung tried to not let her disappointment show. She nodded slowly. “That's fair,” she replied casually.  And true to form, the bobblehead nodded along with her, or he did until Jinyoung nodded over towards the students. He stopped and waited for Jinyoung to explain herself, which she did seconds later, “Did you have to dance like that too?”

Sunggyu probably thought that he could cover his “Yes” by lowering his head and coughing slightly, but Jinyoung caught it.

“Show me!” she urged him, slapping his thigh lightly, trying to rile him up.

But he just scooted away from her and groaned, throwing his head back and screwing his eyes shut. “Aish, why do I tell you these things?” he lamented, shaking his head a bit before lowering it again and looking at his fellow teacher.

“Good question,” she retorted and then broke out into giggles. And before Sunggyu could even begin to look tired of her, Jinyoung quickly added, “But this is good. The kids could learn from their senior Elvis. So don’t just show me, show them too.” If Jinyoung couldn’t see pictures of Sunggyu as Elvis, she was desperately hoping that she could convince him to dance, or maybe just sing one line of a song. And it was a bit cheap of her, but she tried to appeal to his love for his students. It seemed like Sunggyu saw through her tactic. He arched a brow, looking her up and down, and then his eyes darted over to the students who were all laying on the floor with the exception of Joochan and Dongwoo. It was the perfect moment to look over too because Dongwoo was trying to teach the Elvis how to swivel his hips, but Joochan looked more like he was hula-hooping than seducing the ladies. Jinyoung took the opportunity and leaned in closer to Sunggyu. “Go ahead. Show them how it’s  _ really  _ done,” she whispered.

Sunggyu pulled his head away from her and groaned lowly. “I was just hoping to show them how to sing coolly,” and after he let out those grumbles, Sunggyu actually got up from his seat.

“Are you going to do it? Really?” Jinyoung asked excitedly. She had scooted so close to the edge of her seat, following Sunggyu as he got up, that she was in danger of falling onto the floor.

“I have to show them how it’s really done and not whatever Dongwoo is doing right now,” when Sunggyu said that, Jinyoung nearly slid right off. And she finally did when Sunggyu yelled, “Yah!” as he approached Dongwoo and the students. She didn’t bother to climb back onto the bench. Instead, Jinyoung just stayed on the floor, pulled her knees to her chest, and rest her back against the bench, as if she meant to get onto the floor. It was harder to see Sunggyu this way, especially after all of the students got onto their feet when their teacher/director came to the front of the room. Jinyoung leaned over to one side, hoping to get a better peak, but the view was no better. Luckily, Sunggyu had pulled Joochan to the side, away from Dongwoo and his crazy influence. Now, she could see both teacher and student, young and old Elvis, through the gap between students. “Follow me. Forget everything that Dongwoo just taught you, and just follow me,” Sunggyu instructed him.

He wasn’t talking to her, but Jinyoung’s eyes followed his every step. Although quickly it became unbearable to watch, almost.  _ Follow me. _ Jinyoung’s hands flew to her face,trying to cover her eyes and her wide-open mouth, but she was peeking through her fingers. And nothing could cover that laugh. But how could she stop? Sunggyu had tucked his lips into his mouth and was moving his hips around so seriously. And how could she even sit up? Jinyoung was leaning over so much to get a better look, but at the same time, she wanted to stop watching. And her laughter was knocking her over, knocking the wind from her lungs and sense from her head. She was melting into a mess, a bright pink, squeaking mess. She couldn’t keep herself together.

But she had to. At first, it was just Jisoo. The girl was in the back and must’ve heard her teacher’s laughter. When Jisoo caught sight of the mess she had for a teacher, she nudged Myungeun next to her and gestured over to Jinyoung. The two students shared a smile and exchanged some comments. Jinyoung couldn't make out what they said, but the fact alone that they were talking about her sobered her up. Jinyoung gathered herself up and sat on the bench again. Biting the inside of her cheek and keeping her eyes on the floor killed her laughter within seconds. Her hands gripped her knees. Maybe it's time to go. I didn't mean to stay for so long anyway. Jinyoung wanted to be remembered by her students, to have a reputation. But she also wanted a good one. She doubted that after her students saw her like this, there would be any good comments. Jinyoung closed her eyes for a moment, tuning everything out (the laughter of her students, Dongwoo’s whooping, whatever nonsense was spilling out of Elvis’ mouth), and grew the will to leave. She stood up.

“Hong seonsaeng-nim,” her name wasn't shouted over the hoots and hollers of the students but Jinyoung managed to still sense it. She looked towards the front of the classroom. The students had parted in such a way that Jinyoung could clearly see Sunggyu, looking right back at her with his hands on his hips. Actually Dongwoo was staring her down too, and the students as well. Have I done something wrong? It seemed like she had. I did stay for too long.

“We need your help,” Dongwoo revealed.

Jinyoung’s smile quivered, shaken by her nerves. “I'm no dance expert,” she tried to refuse.

“You're not, but you know what's fun,” Sunggyu argued. “Come up here.” She didn't. She stayed where she was, eyes looking longingly at the door.

“Come on, Jinyoung! I need your help,” Dongwoo pleaded. “Please?”

“Okay,” Jinyoung relented and came in front of the practice room. It was a bit jarring. Jinyoung never faced so many attentive students, or students standing in front of her for that matter. She gave them a tight lipped smile and a small wave.

“You came when he asked,” she caught Sunggyu grumble as she walked past him.

“He said ‘please,’” she hissed back. Jinyoung then stepped in between the two teachers, facing Dongwoo with her back to the other. “So what do you need me to do?”

Dongwoo pulled Joochan by the shoulders until the student was in front of Jinyoung. “Okay Joochan, do it exactly how we taught you,” he instructed and lifted both hands off from the younger and stepped away. She sensed Sunggyu stepping away too. Her head whipped back towards him, and sure enough he was a few feet away now.

“What's going on?” she whispered to him.

“Watch,” Sunggyu mouthed back and pointed over to the young Elvis.

Jinyoung did as she was told and began to immediately regret it. Right as her head turned back around, Joochan struck, swiveling his hips around in a wide circle and thrusting at the close. Jinyoung gasped. Her hands clamped over her gaping mouth. And she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes but they remained wide in shock. But she did lean back, trying to get away from it all. She leaned so far that she had to take a step to balance herself.

“This!” Sunggyu yelled to the students. “This is how you all should react.”

“What?” Jinyoung muttered, looking over at the man who’d walked up to her side. She wasn't catching on. She was still in shock. Her hands were still holding her face.  _ Ah, I'm getting red _ .

“Joochan, do it again!” Dongwoo urged him. 

And the poor student tried, but as soon as he was getting ready, Jinyoung snapped, “Stop! Stop it right now!” And Joochan froze.

“Jisoo, that's you, okay?” Sunggyu instructed their Miss Sandra. “During the Hound Dog scene, make your face  _ exactly _ like this.” Sunggyu pointed at Jinyoung's face, who was now huffing, snarling, and glaring at the other in annoyance. Jisoo nodded.

That's when Jinyoung finally realized what was going on.  _ They're using me for reactions _ . Now she was really red. Around the room, she saw the girls mimic her shocked expression. Some were checking themselves in the mirror; others were using their friends as references. And then Jisoo kept yelling at Myungeun to stop, in the same tone as Jinyoung had just seconds earlier. 

_ I really should've left when I had the chance _ , Jinyoung thought.  _ But then again _ ...The fever of embarrassment was slowly dying down, and a real smile graced her face. While it was unintentional and forced upon her, Jinyoung taught them. She taught them something that she never thought she could (or would ever have to teach them for that matter). The students were taking her ‘lessons’ seriously too, so it was hard for Jinyoung to remain upset at that. She didn't want to be.  _ I'm glad that I came in here.  _

“Thanks for your help,” Dongwoo said as the students were busy practicing. 

“I'm glad that I can be of help,” Jinyoung was honest.

“It was my idea,” Sunggyu interjected. “You have the strongest reactions. You express it with your whole body,” he stated as if he was critiquing one of his students.

“Me?” Jinyoung couldn't believe it. “Out of all three of us,  _ I _ have the strongest reactions?” she pressed them. It couldn't be true. Dongwoo’s features were so strong that any expression he made was amplified by them. And as for Sunggyu, his eyebrows leaped across his forehead as if they were doing an interpretive dance of his feelings. That can't be true.

Sunggyu and Dongwoo looked at each other and quickly came to a consensus: “Yes you do.”

“Unbelievable,” Jinyoung muttered under her breath.

“Let’s all get something to drink after this,” Dongwoo suggested.

Jinyoung was shocked yet again. “Me? You want me to come too?” she asked.

“Of course,” Dongwoo responded like the three of them went out all the time. “Come with us. It'll be fun,” he thought she needed encouragement to go, but that wasn't the case at all.

“Yes!” Jinyoung cheered with a jump, unable to contain her excitement.

“See, you have the strongest reactions,” Sunggyu teased her.

Jinyoung shot a glare over at him, but then realized that that response could be proving his point too. So instead she reined in her smile and folded her hands together. “I will meet you in the office,” she calmly told them. She then bowed slightly in goodbye and walked at a steady pace out of the room.

When she was in the hallway, she began cackling. “Who has strong reactions now?” she retorted and stuck her tongue out towards the men still in the practice room. She then skipped down the hall to change back into her work clothes.

_ I finally get to join them! _

* * *

“Let’s make a bet! Whoever loses has to pay for drinks!”

“Do you guys do this every time?” Jinyoung asked with her head between her knees as she was stretching out her legs. 

“No,” Sunggyu answered. His voice was distorted as he was rolling his neck and shaking his limbs loose. He then stopped and reiterated, “I mean, we often play games to see who pays, but it's the first time we’ve done something like this.”

“It's because Jinyoungie is joining us for the first time,” Dongwoo responded. He was crouched down low to the ground with one leg out stretched. “So we have to make it special.”

“Because rock-paper-scissors is too boring?” Jinyoung joked.

“Exactly,” Dongwoo replied and bounced back up onto his feet. “We should put our lives on the line for this!”

Jinyoung laughed as she kicked off her high heels. “Okay, let's do it,” she agreed and walked up to the starting line. As it would turn out, Jinyoung got dressed in her work clothes again too early. Right as the two men came into the office, Dongwoo suggested that they should have a race out on the track. Loser would have to pay for the drinks. It seemed like the matter had already been decided by the two of them before joining up with Jinyoung. And Jinyoung didn't mind wagering. She had a competitive spirit. But she did mind being set up for failure. There was no way that she'd win this race, or even come in second place. Well, not without cheating. And Jinyoung wasn't above doing just that. All she needed was a target.

“Have you always been this short?”

Jinyoung glared at the man coming up to her right, locking on. _ Kim Sunggyu _ . She then forced a laugh out to make her smile, looking harmless. “Have you never noticed before?” she gave him a question of her own. “I wasn't wearing heels earlier.”

“I noticed,” Dongwoo chirped. 

Jinyoung turned towards him. “Why thank you,” she responded with a cheeky grin. She then signaled with her eyes down the track. Dongwoo got the hint. The timing couldn't be more perfect. Sunggyu was stretching again, looking the other way.

“Ready, set, GO!” 

And the two of them were off, leaving Sunggyu behind in their dust.

“Y-yah!” Sunggyu shouted after them. “That's a foul!”

Jinyoung would've loved to taunt him, but she wanted to win even more. So she saved her breath and put her all into running. She was at a great disadvantage, being the shortest of the three and running in a pencil skirt. Dongwoo was already meters ahead of her, running with both arms outstretched as if he were flying. And he was. He flew around the track, already rounding the corner into the home stretch.

Whereas Jinyoung was starting to struggle. She felt herself slowing down, even though she was pumping her arms faster. Her breath was getting shorter.  _ I'm almost there. Just...hang...on _ ! Wow, she was breathing really heavily now. It almost sounded like...no! That wasn't her panting. It was Sunggyu! He had caught up! No, he was passing her!

“No!” Jinyoung shouted and tried to grab at his shirt when he passed, but she missed him by centimeters. And now he was too far away. Jinyoung lost. She tucked her head in and sprinted with all of her might. She was going to lose but she wasn't going to quit.

“He-hey!”

Jinyoung lifted her head. Sunggyu stopped just meters away from the finish line. Or it was more like someone stopped him. Dongwoo had charged at him and was now hugging the other while pushing him back. And Sunggyu was trying to peel Dongwoo off. Jinyoung smirked and lowered her head again, running past the two of them. And she crossed the finish line, nearly seconds before Sunggyu managed to cross it with Dongwoo hanging on his back.

“I won!” Jinyoung cheered, jumping around the two of them.

“Dongwoo won,” Sunggyu corrected her. “And you cheated! Will you let go of me?!”

“You still lost,” Dongwoo pointed out after he let the other go. “And have to pay for drinks.”

“B-but…” Sunggyu stammered. “You cheated.”

“You can cheat next time then,” Jinyoung offered. She grunted as she slipped her heels back on. “But for now, let’s drink! Come on, Dongwoo!” she exclaimed, putting her arm around her friend. And the two of them skipped down the track towards the exit.

“If you think I'm above cheating, I'm not!” Sunggyu shouted after them. “Next time, you won’t stand a chance!”

“Good,” Jinyoung retorted. She liked the sound of that, ‘next time.’

* * *

But ‘this time’ was far from over. It was just getting started. They settled on going to a place nearby. The same old place the staff goes to for every gathering. But for Jinyoung, it was like going there for the first time. Dongwoo and Sunggyu, those two were like a part of a club that she’d always wanted to join. She waited and waited for an invitation. And now, she had one. Jinyoung didn't understand why today was different from any other time that they went out. It didn't seem special. She didn't think that she did anything different. But she must've done just the right thing. And now, she was part of the club.

“Wait, wait,” Sunggyu pulled her back from the entrance of the restaurant, from following Dongwoo who just went inside.

“What? What?” Jinyoung mimicked him as she let herself be pulled to his side.

“Remember  _ that _ secret I told you?” he whispered lowly.

Jinyoung giggled. “How could I forget, leader-nim?” she teased him and gave him a nudge in the shoulder. 

“Of course,  _ that _ you won’t forget,” Sunggyu groaned and gave her a slight shove right back with two of his fingers at her shoulder.

“Nope,” she chirped, taking a step back and away from him.

“Well can you not mention it tonight, please?” Sunggyu begged of her. He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice again, mumbling. Jinyoung had to lean in to catch it all. “I sort of...didn’t tell Dongwoo about it yet.”

“You never told Dongwoo that you were an idol? Really?” Jinyoung whispered back. Her gaze flew over to the door, which Dongwoo had gone through moments before.

“No, I didn't,” Sunggyu reiterated. Jinyoung’s eyes drifted back to him and narrowed.  _ I don't understand. They're friends. And we are...whatever we are _ . There was no answer found in Sunggyu’s face either, intentionally, Jinyoung guessed. He was a little too stoic right now.

So she went directly for the answer, “But you told me?” Jinyoung pointed to herself as she asked. 

“That's because you're  _ really _ good at pretending like you're trustworthy,” that was his excuse.

Jinyoung frowned. “I  _ am _ trustworthy,” she argued. Her word meant something. She fulfilled her promises the best she could. What did he mean?

“What's the passcode to the your home?” Sunggyu shot back with an unrelated question.

“1989. Why?” Jinyoung answered without hesitation. But then she realized and gasped, “Oh!” before clamping her mouth shut. It wasn't an unrelated question at all.

“See!” Sunggyu exclaimed with a cocky grin and wagged a finger at her. “You can’t be trusted with secrets. Not even your own!” He had a point. The words slipped through her disobedient lips without much thought.  _ Why do I do this? Bad lips! Bad! _ She slapped her mouth a few times. And Sunggyu watched in amusement as she did so. After clicking his tongue at her a few times and chuckling, he grew sober again. “You won't tell him, will you?” he begged.

Jinyoung lowered her hands. “Not if you don't want me to,” she replied, hoping that she could keep that promise. Jinyoung couldn’t understand why it still needed to be a secret. Being an idol was cool, in her opinion. And she was sure that Dongwoo would think so too. But it also wasn’t a complete surprise that Sunggyu was being so careful. It was a part of his nature. Jinyoung just wished that he wouldn’t feel so ashamed about it.

“I don't,” Sunggyu replied. He was going to hold onto that shame for just a bit longer. He tilted his head as he gazed down at her. “Can I trust you?” he asked.

Jinyoung hung her head while she pondered for a second or two and scraped her foot against the pavement. She was starting to lose faith in herself to keep anything a secret. The corners of her mouth fell, and her lips pursed, not even risking air to pass through. It felt heavy, her chest, and tight. There was only one secret she’d kept for a long while, and it was literally weighing on her. She doubted if she could carry it for much longer. And this was a secret that she  _ needed _ to keep. It was a big one. In comparison, Sunggyu’s secret was so small, itty bitty, and exciting. It would slip past her lips as easily as her passcode did. Jinyoung paused for a bit too long. Sunggyu had called out her name. She raised her gaze again, to his. And she was met with concern.  _ Is he really that worried that I’ll spill it? _ “I trust you to stop me if I get close to saying it,” that’s all she could promise him with all honesty. And it was enough.

Sunggyu smirked. “Good point,” he remarked as if she had just said something witty (and it probably seemed like she had because she was smiling again thoughtlessly). Sunggyu then gestured for them to join Dongwoo inside, and they began to walk in together. “So your passcode is 1989?” the silence didn’t last for more than a few seconds before Sunggyu renewed and diverted their conversation.

“No,” Jinyoung lied, smiling so brightly that she wished that it would blind him and make him forget. 

It didn’t. Jinyoung expected that Sunggyu would never forget her code, especially when he asked, “What would happen if you came home one day and I was at your apartment?”

“I’d scream,” she replied honestly this time.

“Of course you would,” he responded with a sigh. He then opened the door and let her through first. “You should really change it, you know. It’s an easy code to figure out,” but he did not let her pass without some chiding.

“But no one has figured it out yet,” Jinyoung retorted with a joke, like her simple passcode was good enough. She flashed that big grin again, hoping that he’d let it go.

“It’s still risky,” he held on. Jinyoung stopped in front of him and replaced her fake smile with a genuine, and threatening glare. She didn’t appreciate being nagged by him, especially since they were...whatever they were. But no matter how much fierceness Jinyoung had lit behind her eyes (which was a surprising amount, considering how cheerful she normally was), Sunggyu didn’t falter. “Just change it,” he responded, half-smiling.

Jinyoung yielded, but not happily. “Well, now that  _ you _ know it, I’ll have to,” she grumbled and then turned around to join Dongwoo at the table, taking the seat next to him. When she settled in, Jinyoung noticed Sunggyu was still standing where she left him, puzzled. But something in him soon snapped and spurred him back into motion. Sunggyu joined them and slid into the spot right across from Dongwoo.

“What were you two doing?” Dongwoo asked when the last of their party arrived. “I turned around and the both of you were gone!”

Jinyoung opened her mouth, but she wasn’t the one to speak. “We were talking about the sets,” Sunggyu lied. Jinyoung shut her mouth and fixed her eyes on him. A slender smile split her face. Sunggyu really was set on stopping her from exposing him. And there he was, sitting there and acting nonchalant, except his fingers were fiddling with the menu. “Should we get the usual?”

Jinyoung turned to Dongwoo. “What’s the usual?” she asked. And that shift in conversation was enough to led Dongwoo away from his original question. Dongwoo continued on and on to tell her what they usually ate and how they usually spent their time here, with anecdotes littered here and there by both men. And that conversation lasted until the food arrived. It all pleased Jinyoung, to the food, the conversation listening to the stories, and to be a part of the ‘usualness.’ It pleased her very much.

* * *

“Thanks for helping out today, Dongwoo,” Sunggyu remarked when the food was nearly done, but the drinking was just beginning.

“No problem. It really brought back memories,” Dongwoo replied and poured himself a fresh glass of soju. He then offered to fill Jinyoung’s glass, and she gladly accepted it.

“You were in musicals too?” she asked as she stretched her glass out to him. She then felt a tap at her elbow and she instinctively slid the soju bottle over to Sunggyu but kept her attention on Dongwoo.   
“No, I danced a lot in high school,” he answered. But his brows were furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean by ‘too’?”

Jinyoung’s eyes went wide and her mouth dropped. “Uh,” she held that shaky note as her eyes drifted over to Sunggyu, who was now digging the heel of his hand into the side of his head.  _ Seriously? This too? _

Sunggyu soon drew his hand away from his head and fixed his hair, acting like that’s why his hand was there the whole time. “Dongwoo was a really good dancer,” Sunggyu attempted to steer the conversation again. “He used to help out at his old dance studio.”

Luckily for him, and Jinyoung, Dongwoo could be easily distracted. “Dancing was about the only thing I was good at in high school,” the science teacher joked. “I wasn’t like Kim Shin over here.” He stuck his thumb out towards Sunggyu.

Now Jinyoung was steered away too. She wiggled excitedly in her seat and propped her elbows onto the table, cupping her cheeks in her hands, tilting her head. “Kim Shin?” she repeated. She had a feeling that this was going to be good.

“I was popular in high school.  _ Really _ popular,” Sunggyu bragged, which wasn’t taken seriously by Dongwoo at all. His friend burst into a roaring laughter. Sunggyu cursed, “Aish! This kid always laughs when I say that.”

Dongwoo waved his hand and quickly sobered up enough to tell Jinyoung (via badgering Sunggyu), “I've seen your graduation photo. You didn't look popular. You looked old-timey.” He then turned to Jinyoung and said, “I swear that it must’ve been taken like 60 years ago. That’s why I call him Kim Shin. He’s been alive for a long long looooong time.”

Jinyoung gasped. “I haven't seen it!” she exclaimed. Pulling her focus from Dongwoo, she devoted it all to Sunggyu, praying to him earnestly, “Can I? I want to see it. Where is it?”

Once more, Sunggyu didn’t falter (even if his ears were growing ruddy). “No where. It doesn’t exist,” he grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest and refusing to look at either of them.

He only looked over at them when Dongwoo revealed, “I saved it.”

Sunggyu groaned, rolling his head around before looking at them again. “Why would you do that?” But as soon as his eyes fell on them again, he saw Dongwoo with his phone out and handing it over to Jinyoung, whose mouth was now hanging wide open in astonishment.

“Oh!” she gasped. Her mouth shut, clenching into a wicked grin as she chortled through her teeth. “I would save that too. Oh my gosh! Little Kim Sunggyu!” she exclaimed, refusing to tear her eyes away from the picture on the screen. How could she? It was enchanting, just like the goblin Kim Shin was. Little Sunggyu had a sad and wise look in his, such gravity in his expression, like children from years past had. Even his clothes and hair appeared old fashioned. Jinyoung, however, did manage to free herself from the trance of the photo and studied Sunggyu, who appeared to not age much since the photo was taken, not as much as he should have. “How old are you?” she asked softly.

Sunggyu responded to her whispered question with a shout and outrage: “I’m your age! It only looks old because it’s black and white.”

Dongwoo ripped his phone from her hands and scrolled through his roll. “Then why do you look old in this one too,” he murmured and then placed the phone back into her hands. The photo was from years earlier, when Sunggyu must’ve just entered grade school. But, my goodness, when did he? In the 1920s? What was this? Was it the work of magic or a shoddy camera? 

“Why are you showing her? Show me! Which one…” Sunggyu grumbled but his complaints soon stuck to his throat after he leaned over and saw the picture that enraptured Jinyoung. But a scoffed escaped through his tight throat. “Oh, come on! Why do you have that one?” he cried.

“Evidence,” Dongwoo plainly replied.

“Delete it!” Sunggyu demanded with a fierce glare, piercing through his friend. It seemed to affect the Science teacher because Dongwoo laughed a bit anxiously and put his phone away. Seeing how effective it was, he then tried to stare some guilt into Jinyoung, but when he tried, his evil glare softened into a look of confusion. Jinyoung was glaring straight at him, but not at his face. She was looking lower, at his chest. Sunggyu shifted in his seat and tightened his arms across his chest. “What are you doing?” he finally asked although apprehensive.

“I trying to see the sword in your chest,” she answered as if it were a natural thing to do. But after looking at those photos, it  _ was _ natural for her to wonder that.  _ Is there another secret that this...creature is hiding? _

“I don’t have one,” Sunggyu muttered and polished off the rest of his drink. But by doing that, he left his chest open for more scrutiny. When he put his drink down, both Jinyoung and Dongwoo were staring at his chest. “Not you too! Stop!” he cried. He drew his jacket in close, covering his chest, and averted his eyes again. “It’s creepy.”

“Ahjussi,” Jinyoung called to Sunggyu, doing her best Euntaek impression possible.  She waited until Sunggyu dared to look over at her from the corner of his eyes. “I love you.” To that, he whined and hung his head. He used his fingers to massage the space between his eyes. Jinyoung’s teasing was giving him a hard time, and Dongwoo was about to make it worse.

“Let’s pull it out!” Dongwoo declared as he stood up from his seat and leaned over the table, trying to tear Sunggyu’s jacket away from his chest.

But Sunggyu wouldn’t let him. He held on tightly while yelling, “Stop! Nothing’s there! Stop!” Sunggyu might’ve been going through the Hell that the goblin never did, but Jinyoung was practically in Heaven. Seeing those two mess around brought her such joy, too much joy. She was laughing so hard now that her sides were aching. 

“I thought I recognized that laugh.”

Jinyoung spun towards that familiar voice and she was greeted by a face that she knew so well. “Howon!” she exclaimed. For a few seconds, she hesitated between standing up to greet him properly or to keep sitting down, but Howon soon put that indecision to rest by putting his hand on the back of her seat when he came to their table. Jinyoung leaned back in her chair as she looked up at the man. Her back hit his arm, and that sensation filled her with an odd mix of comfortable familiarity and awkwardness. She was smiling, genuinely happy to see Howon again, but her eyes darted nervously over to the two other men. One was beaming and the other was pouring himself another drink.

“Hello, Jinyoung,” Howon greeted her with an equally as warm smile and drew her attention back to him. But as soon as he held it, he let it go again. He nodded to the man next to her. “Hey Dongwoo. How’s it going? It’s been awhile.”

“It has. I’m doing pretty well. And you?” Dongwoo began to chat with his friend.

“Good,” Howon answered. He then removed his hand from her chair and stuffed it into his pocket. His attention too was withdrawn entirely from her. Jinyoung’s smile faltered; she didn’t like being passed over like this so soon.  _ But I guess it suits us now _ . She let out a deep breath and followed Howon’s gaze over to the Science teacher. “Dongwoo, can I talk to you for a second? I want your advice on something,” Howon asked him, gesturing away from the table and over to the side of the place.

“Yea sure,” Dongwoo muttered, getting up immediately from his seat. “Excuse me,” he begged as he brushed past Jinyoung. “I’ll be back,” Dongwoo told them before joining Howon a few feet away. 

And Jinyoung rest her head in her hand as she watched them animatedly talk to each other, while she was here, sitting in silence and twirling an empty soju glass in her hands. Well, there was no point for one of those two things to be empty. So Jinyoung took the bottle and filled her glass again. She then sipped from it as she watched the two men talk some more. It felt weird. She almost felt obligated to join them, to be at his side again. But that was only habit and not necessity. She didn’t need to be there.  _ I guess I belong here now _ . Jinyoung put down her glass and cocked her head as she grinned at the man still at the table with her. He seemed to be equally at a loss as to what to do. So Sunggyu did what he did best: he talked.

“So that was Howon,” he breached the topic.

Jinyoung decided to fling it wide open: “Yes, that’s my ex-boyfriend.”

“You guys seem to get along still,” Sunggyu remarked.

Jinyoung giggled a bit. _We’re seriously going to talk about this? Sure, why not?_ Sunggyu had divulged much about his past today. Now it was her turn. “Getting along wasn’t the problem,” she began. The giggles came out again when Sunggyu shot her a quizzical look. “I get along with _a_ _lot_ of people. The problem was that we realized we couldn’t be anything more than friends,” she clarified for him.

“Are you sure?” he pressed. Now he was the one fiddling around with an empty glass in his hands.

“It was the definition of an amicable break up,” she assured him. And to prove this, she tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned to the side, furrowing her brows as she tried to listen into the conversation. “In fact...he’s asking Dongwoo...what to get his girlfriend for her birthday,” she revealed to the other and sat back in her seat.

Sunggyu smirked and put the glass down, his hands in his lap. “Psh, so nosy,” he teased her.

But she was going to take it as a compliment: “It comes in handy.” Especially when it comes to proving that you are over your exes to your colleagues. 

“What is he thinking of getting her?” he challenged and rest his arms on the table as he shifted in his seat to face her better.

“Hm,” Jinyoung hummed as she tucked her hair behind her ear again and leaned towards the two men again. She bit her lips as she concentrated. “Sounds like a bag,” she whispered to Sunggyu, as if those men could hear her. Jinyoung then shifted her attention towards Sunggyu and sputtered when she saw him trying to listen in on the conversation too. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were practically shut as he concentrated.

“Sounds more like luggage,” he remarked after listening for a few moments. He then snapped his fingers and looked over to her excitedly. “They're going on a trip,” he concluded.

Jinyoung slammed her hand against the table, getting carried away with his excitement. “Oh! You're right! You're good at this,” she praised him.

And he carried that away, with a shrug of his shoulders and a cocky grin. “I know,” he replied. Jinyoung scoffed at that and then tore her attention away from him and returned to eavesdropping again. Now that she knew what Howon had in store for his current girlfriend, Jinyoung want to know where they were going and when. She did not feel one pang of envy while listening, but her curiosity was tearing through her body. She hoped that Sunggyu was having an easier time hearing them. Maybe he could catch it and tell her.

“So...What about you?” Sunggyu suddenly asked. Jinyoung spun towards him, confused. She had no idea what he was referring. Sunggyu reiterated his question: “What were you like in high school? You must’ve been popular.”

_ Ah, so we’re returning back to this _ . Jinyoung decided to move from her seat and slid into Dongwoo’s. This really wasn’t something she wanted to talk loudly about across the table. But she made sure to bring her glass over, and Sunggyu was ready with the bottle to fill it for her (and for himself). When Jinyoung took the glass back, she didn’t drink from it yet. Instead she gazed down at it while she talked, “No, I wasn’t…I mean, I was well liked. But not everybody knew about me, and I didn’t know everyone.” She looked up at the other when she finished. He hadn’t touched his glass either. He was sitting there with his arms loosely crossed in front of him, rocking a bit in his seat.

“Really?” he challenged. Jinyoung nodded. “But you’re so…cheerful. Like what people call ‘a vitamin.’”

Jinyoung snorted at that and took a sip from her glass. A long one. She cupped her warm cheeks in her hands. A ‘vitamin,’ she’d been called that many times before, and it still made her feel good to hear. “I was like that then too, but…” she paused and gazed up at the other again. “I concentrated on my studies, mostly. I was serious about that, but I also wasn’t the best in the class. So I kinda escaped the notice of a lot of people.”

“I would’ve noticed you,” Sunggyu stated, words falling slowly as he looked down at his glass.

Jinyoung snorted. “It sounds like you noticed  _ a lot _ of girls in high school,” she retorted.

“Ah no, I didn’t,” Sunggyu spat out a denial and snapped his head back up. His eyes were wide; he appeared offended, until he smirked wickedly. “They noticed me,” he corrected her. While Jinyoung scoffed and rolled her eyes at him, Sunggyu chuckled and continued, “I concentrated on my studies too. I placed second out of my entire school one year.”

When he said that, Jinyoung had taken a sip from her glass. She sputtered and choked. One hand flew to her mouth and the other to her chest, knocking against it until the alcohol burned down her throat. “ _ And _ you were a trainee?” she managed to ask that while wheezing. Sunggyu nodded with the smirk again. “How did you manage all of that?”

“I wasn’t a trainee until after I graduated high school,” he explained. He then tried to reach for the bottle again, but Jinyoung tore it away from him, leaving Sunggyu with nothing but a pout on his face.

She wasn’t swayed by that pitiful face. “You lied! To me!” she yelled with a hand still on her heart. 

Sunggyu scoffed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest again. “No, I never told you. There’s a difference,” he argued.

Now it was Jinyoung’s turn to pout and she put the soju bottle back onto the table. “Then why didn't you tell me?” she asked in a small voice. Her hand was still on her chest, rubbing it gingerly. It hadn’t felt right since she choked on the soju earlier. She sighed and raised her eyes to him again. Her frown deepened as her finger circled around the rim of her glass and she slunk deeper into her seat. Sunggyu had told her many things recently, but now it seemed that each time he opened his mouth something unbelievable would pop out. Sure, it was true that he was an idol, but was he really in musicals too? One of the smartest kids in school and popular with that old timey looking face? Jinyoung narrowed her eyes into a glare. Could she trust him?

Sunggyu began chuckling again, probably at her reaction because he looked very amused right now. He tilted his head and joked, “You didn't ask.”

Jinyoung decided to shove her worries aside and play along with him: “Oh, so I have to ask now?” she tried to act offended, but her acting was as good as her drawing. Her giggling broke her ‘character.’

And Sunggyu kept laughing along with her as they continued their ‘spat’: “Not unless you can read minds. Can you?”

“Yes,” Jinyoung immediately replied with a straight face, which she somehow managed to keep even when confronted with Sunggyu’s contorting and doubtful expressions.

“Read mine,” he challenged her.

“Okay,” she picked it up. Devoting herself to the bit, Jinyoung rubbed her temples with her fingertips and focused her all of her concentration on the other. She didn’t know what psychic she was acting like, but she had seen it somewhere. Humming lowly, she tried to keep the other’s gaze, but with Sunggyu looking at her incredulously like that, it was hard to keep up. Jinyoung sputtered into a laugh and collapsed onto the table.

“See. I knew you couldn't do it,” he boasted. “They shouldn't let liars like you teach kids.”

At that remark, Jinyoung snapped her head back up and glared at him. She’d caught Sunggyu about to drink again, and he paused with the glass to his lips. “Did you know?” she asked. 

Sunggyu then drained his glass and put it back down. “Know what?” he prodded her.

“Did you know Heartthrob was going to disband when you were preparing for the last album?”

“What?” He looked like he didn’t expect that question at all.

“I…” Jinyoung stopped herself from admitting that she owned posters of him, his CDs too. She barely knew why she brought it up. Well, besides her curiosity prompting her. It been a question in the back of her mind for a long time, and the alcohol leaked it out. Although the alcohol was to blame, it might also be the solution right now. She finished her own drink herself before she was calm enough to continue again, “I saw a picture of you, for that album. There was something about your expression that made me think that.” She pressed the cool glass to her warm cheek and leaned against it as she studied the other.  _ I’m not the only one with big reactions. _ It was obvious what the other was thinking right now, so Jinyoung decided to impress him even further, “You looked desperate. ‘This is our last shot,’ that was what you were thinking  _ way _ back then.”

“Woah,” fell from his lips as his whole body shivered. “I just got goosebumps,” Sunggyu admitted with a slight laugh and rubbed his arms to warm them again. 

Jinyoung opened her mouth, ready to brag and reprimand him for saying that she lied, but a squeal came out instead. Dongwoo had slid into the seat next to her, rejoining the table, and she’d forgotten than he was a part of it. Jinyoung lowered her head and ruffled her hair as the other two laughed at her. Maybe she did have the biggest reactions of the three of them.

“Sorry for that,” Dongwoo apologized. “I didn’t think I’d scare you.”

“Jinyoung startles really easily. Even when you think she should notice you, she can still be surprised,” and it was no surprise that that word of advice came from her ex. Jinyoung lowered her hands and looked up at the man with a tight lipped smile. Howon had startled her more than she’d like to admit. He had some light feet.

“I know,” Sunggyu responded and went to open up a new bottle of soju. But his eyes were on Howon as he did so. “We’ve worked together for three years.”

“Ah right, I guess you would know,” Howon admitted. He then looked over at his ex with a smile to match hers. “We should get tea and catch up sometime, Jinyoung.”

“Eung,” she readily agreed and her smile widened. They said that to each other every time that they met. Maybe they’d actually do it this time. Jinyoung wanted to hear more about the trip. Howon could be surprisingly romantic and thoughtful. I _ bet it would be like a scene from a drama _ . But Howon chuckled in response, probably knowing that they wouldn’t meet up, like every other time. She laughed too. “I'll see you around, Howon,” she told him and waved goodbye. The man waved and left the restaurant.

And Jinyoung kept laughing to herself as she picked up her chopsticks again to eat some of the food that was left. She didn’t really know why she was. Maybe it was the alcohol again. Or maybe because it was from embarrassment. Or both. It was hard to tell. But the laughter soon died, and she started to eat again. While she was stuffing her face, she looked over at the other two. Dongwoo was trying to rehash the whole ‘Kim Shin’ conversation, picking up where they’d all left off (which felt like so long ago now). And Jinyoung expected to see Sunggyu glaring at Dongwoo for even trying, but instead his eyes were on her. Jinyoung looked down again, at the side dish that she was picking from. Did he want some? She assumed that he did and offered the dish to him. Sunggyu shook his head. He didn’t want it. Jinyoung smirked after she put the dish back down and saw something else next to her. She picked up the soju bottle and offered to fill his empty glass. That he accepted. Jinyoung began giggling again as she poured the soju.  _ Maybe I can really read minds! _

She then poured another drink for Dongwoo too and the three of them talked more about the musical and reminisced about their high school days. And after Dongwoo told them a funny anecdote about a particular talent show performance he did that involved crossdressing (he joked about relating to Natalie then because he did the dance to impress a girl), he stood up. “I’m gonna get going,” he announced, which lured out a whine from Jinyoung. She didn’t want the night to end so soon. “I wanna see my niece before she’s put down to bed. Night!”

“Night,” her and Sunggyu responded in unison and waved at Dongwoo as he left. She spoke it reluctantly whereas the other sounded happier. 

Sunggyu turned around and faced her. “Let’s finish this up and go too,” he suggested as he filled her glass with the last bottle of soju that they had. Jinyoung only nodded and held the glass in her hands. She watched Sunggyu pour the rest of the bottle into his own glass. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at her hands. With this one glass, this night would be over.  _ What would happen if I don’t drink it? _ While she was lost in her thoughts, Sunggyu clinked his glass against hers. “Cheers,” he muttered. “One shot!”

Jinyoung glared at him as she watched him drain his glass.  _ Damn you _ , she mentally cursed and then turned to the side to do the same. When she finished it, she began coughing. The burn was too much right now. She could feel it spread all over her body, especially her cheeks.  _ I’m so tipsy _ , she thought as she rubbed her fists against those hot cheeks. She then pushed her cheeks together until her lips pouted.  _ Drank too much. _

“Oh,” she gasped, lowering her hands as he saw Sunggyu stand up suddenly. His hand went to his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. That was right! Jinyoung had forgotten. Sunggyu had to pay for this meal because he lost. And he lost because she’d cheated.  _ I have an idea _ . Jinyoung stood up with him. “Wait. I feel bad for making you pay. I cheated. I should pay,” she offered and rummaged through her purse for her own wallet.

“That’s right! You did!” Sunggyu exclaimed, quickly stuffing his wallet back into his pocket. “You should be the one to pay. Come on,” he urged her to walk around to his side of the table. When she did, he slapped her on the back, like he was praising her. “It’s nice to know that you have a conscience.”

“Of course!” Jinyoung chirped with a cheeky smile. She finally found the bills that she wanted and handed one of them over to him. “Here. Use this. It should be enough, right?”

“Why are you carrying bills like this around?” he remarked as he studied the large bills in his hand. And indeed, why would a teacher carry such a large amount of money in her purse? How could she have that much? Jinyoung bit her lips to stop her giggles from betraying her again. She only shrugged in response, leaving Sunggyu none the wiser. “I’ll be back,” he said before rushing off the to cash register to pay for their meal.

Jinyoung followed him, slowly, creeping up step by step. She’d let her lip go and the laughter was spilling forth now. Sunggyu had a right to be suspicious of her money. Jinyoung had given him one of her counterfeit bills that she’d gotten from Sungyeol. She finally got to pull the prank that she wanted to pull with them. And maybe Sunggyu did trust her too much. He took the money easily. But the old woman behind the register didn’t. She probably could spot a counterfeit from miles away after being in this job for so long. And she did. The old woman was now yelling at Sunggyu for giving her bad money.

That was when Jinyoung sped up and ran up (and into) his side. “Imo, it’s my fault,” she confessed. “I gave him the fake money. It was a prank.” She then handed her over the card in her hands. “Here. I’ll pay. For real,” she ended, flashing an apologetic smile to the other, and patted his arm when he only responded with a glare.

But words finally came from him when they left the restaurant. “Why do you always mess with me?” he grumbled.

“It's fun,” she replied and then bumped into him again. “ _ And _ I know you won't get offended. You have a soft heart. You'll always forgive me, right?” That was more of wishful thinking than a truth that she knew. 

Sunggyu stepped away from her and frowned. “Maybe not one of these days if you keep it up,” he retorted.

Jinyoung laughed nervously. “Then I'll try to treat you better,” she promised.

“You should,” he agreed, nodding, and his frown slowly picked up into a smile. They both walked with a dragging step, knocking into each other. Jinyoung wasn’t sure of where they were going, if she was even walking in the right direction. But it felt nice. Tonight just felt nice. And she wanted that feeling to last just a bit longer, revel in the cool night air that brushed against her warm skin and cleared her mind. It’d be a long time since she ambled around, tipsy like this, and even longer since she had someone by her side when she did.  _ I guess Howon was the last one...Oh _ . She felt something other than the night air brush against her hand.  _ Too close _ , she thought and stuffed her hand into the pocket of her coat. 

“Hey,” Sunggyu called out to her (informally but Jinyoung didn’t heed that). She stopped turned towards him, too quickly or unexpectedly. Sunggyu kept moving forward and knocked into her. And she lost her balance a bit, but was kept steady. The two of them could only laugh, not knowing what else to do other than to also step away, which Jinyoung did. She also pulled her phone out of her pocket. She hadn’t checked her messages since dinner had started. 

“Do you…”

“Oh,” Jinyoung muttered.

Sunggyu came closer. “What's wrong?”

“I missed a call.” Not just one, but several of them, all from Yewon. Panic set in, chasing the alcohol euphoria out of her veins. Was she supposed to meet with her tonight? Was Yewon having another panic attack? Nightmare? Only one thing was for sure: Yewon needed her, and Jinyoung drank with the boys instead.

“It happens,” Sunggyu replied, not really understanding what was so bad about it. Jinyoung shook her head, her eyes still on the phone. “What's wrong? Were you expecting it?” he pressed.

“No, but…” Jinyoung swallowed hard and dropped her voice before continuing, “I should've answered it.”

“Then call it back,” Sunggyu suggested.

“Right,” she muttered right back. Her mind was so muddled and agitated right now that she couldn’t see that simple solution. Her fingers glided swiftly across the screen as she called her friend back. But there was no answer. Jinyoung could only leave a rushed message, apologizing for not picking up and asking Yewon to call her back. She didn’t say much more than that. Sunggyu was probably listening in (and he was, judging by how close he crept up to her). Jinyoung turned to him. “She didn't pick up.”

“I'm sure whoever it is will understand,” he tried to reassure her but failed. Jinyoung groaned and kicked at the pavement. She felt like she failed her friend. Even if Yewon did understand (which she would), Jinyoung couldn’t get rid of this guilt swelling up in her chest. And it just grew heavier and heavier. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Sunggyu sounded worried, and when she gazed up at him, he looked it too.

“Me? Yes,” Jinyoung lied.

He saw right through that. “No, you aren't. You've been acting weird these past few days. Gloomy. Even now,” he pointed out and was literally pointing at her, accusingly. He then stuffed his hands into his pockets and nodded back towards the restaurant, which still wasn’t too far away in spite of how long they’d been outside. “You were fine inside there...with Dongwoo,” his voice dropped lower as he spoke.

Jinyoung grinned as brightly as she could, trying to chase away any of the gloom that Sunggyu thought he saw. “It's nothing. I promise,” she told him. And Sunggyu just sighed at that, at her.  _ I have to go _ . “Well…” she muttered as she took a step back and then another, getting away from him before he could...

“Oh! I know what it is!” Before he could do something like that. Jinyoung faced him again. He was proud. “I know what’s wrong with you!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands at his revelation.

“What what is?” Jinyoung was still feigning ignorance, hoping that she could make Sunggyu feel so awkward that he’d stopped. But that didn’t happen. He was too confident. There was no way that he was going to back down now.

“You have a secret,” he declared. Jinyoung balked at that.  _ Dang, he really knew it _ . And Jinyoung began wondering what her reaction to that was because Sunggyu started laughing and exclaimed, “Wow, you really look like you're about to burst. You really…” he swallowed the rest, and his face grew sullen. “What is it? Are you okay?” he asked.

Jinyoung stared at him for a few seconds. Her hand was on her chest again, this time touching the weight that settled into it.  _ I can trust him, right? Has he given me a reason not to? _ Sunggyu was standing across from her, waiting for her answer. The only sign of his impatience was his eyebrow slowly drifting up his forehead. Jinyoung closed her eyes.  _ I can’t live like this anymore. _

“No. Can...can we talk?” she stuttered. “Would that be alright?” She was completely unsure if she should do this. Yewon had begged her profusely not to tell anyone. But, Jinyoung was having a hard time dealing with this on her own. “I know it’s late,” Jinyoung told him, giving him an out. “And I probably shouldn’t,” she ended with a heavy sigh. But the weight just felt heavier and heavier, like a breath that she couldn’t exhale. It was suffocating. 

“Sure. That would be fine. Let’s talk,” Sunggyu agreed. He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her down the street. “Come on. Let’s find somewhere we can talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually had more planned for this chapter, but I had written too much ahaha. I hope you guys enjoy it!


	5. Snuggly and Hyong

“Thank you for talking with me, even though it’s late.”

Jinyoung walked out of the cafe and was holding up the door for the man following closely behind her.

“It’s no problem,” Sunggyu replied as he walked through the door. Once he came up to his side, his eyes darted all over her face and he gave her a small smile. “You look a lot better.”

“I feel a whole lot better,” Jinyoung spoke like a sigh. She was relieved. The weight she’d been carrying around had now been lifted, and she could breathe easily now. It only took nearly two hours of talking to Sunggyu. And honestly, it would’ve taken less time, but the both of them had gotten distracted and talked about other things before Jinyoung remembered that she had more to say about Yewon. Now because of that, she was relieved, light, and very tired. It was an emotionally exhausting conversation, not to mention it was very, _very_ late right now. Normally, a second round consists of more alcohol and an exciting atmosphere, not coffee and a deep conversation. But it was the second round that she needed and Sunggyu was nice enough to join her. “It’s been hard. I mean not as hard of a time as she’s been having but...I feel better now,” she added with a slight giggle, looking back up at him.

“Good,” he spoke through a yawn. He had covered it with his hand, but instead of dropping that hand to his side once he was done, he let it fall onto her shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

Jinyoung nodded. “I will.”

“Good,” he mumbled and he pulled the hand back, stuffing it into his pocket. “I'm glad you told me your secret. That makes us even,” he ended, giving her an odd half-smile.

But Jinyoung gave her fullest smile to him, recalling _his_ precious secret. “I guess it does,” she replied, which was quickly followed by a gasp. She grabbed at his arm and with wide-eyes, exclaimed, “You can’t tell anyone either!”

Sunggyu scoffed. “I won't. I'm not you,” he retorted. Jinyoung narrowed her eyes on him, offended at that comment. But somehow Sunggyu took it to mean that she doubted him. “I won't! I promise,” he raised his voice.

So Jinyoung’s expression softened and she offered him her pinky. “Swear that you won't then,” she told him and wiggled her little finger.

Sunggyu chuckled but still linked his pinky with hers. “I swear,” he promised. He then put his hand back in his pocket and at odd smile was back too, “Good night, Hong seonsaeng-nim.” Which sounded so formal and as odd as that smile right now.

But Jinyoung guessed it was appropriate. She bowed her head slightly at him and told him, “Good night, Kim seonsaengnim,” before walking off to her bus stop.

* * *

She managed to catch the last bus home and was nearly the only person on it. And she surely was the only one awake in her neighborhood. Only the streetlamps were on. All of the windows were dark, including the Hyuns’. Jinyoung made sure to check their window before entering their building. She walked up those steps as quietly as she could, but her steps still seemed to echo loudly, mostly because there was nothing else, no one else to muffle the noise. So she took off her heels and finished walking up the stairs.

She tiptoed through the hallway, whispering ‘good night’ to her best friends’ door. And once she got inside of her apartment, she let out the breath that she didn’t know she was holding and dropped the shoes on the floor.

It had been a long night, enjoyable but long. All Jinyoung wanted to do now was to sleep, and so she scurried off into the bedroom to get ready for bed. But once she was inside, she nearly screamed. Her heart was racing in her chest. The poster, she’d forgotten that it was there. And she’d caught a glimpse of _him_ out of the corner of her eye. She then laughed as herself as she rubbed her chest, willing her heart to slow down. After walking up to the poster, she stared at it for a few moments, cocking her head and still rubbing her chest.

“Good night, Kim...Sunggyu.”

* * *

The next morning was rough. Jinyoung felt like she’d just gone to sleep when she had to wake up again, which seriously was the case. Living so far away from the school was beginning to be a nuisance. She was nearly sleepwalking as she approached the school’s gates. Her eyes were nearly closed, but her ears were open and sensitive to the sounds around her. The students were gossiping about ‘Snuggly’ once again. Those who were a part of the musical were showing the others the dance Snuggly had taught Joochan, and their friends were in amazement and envious that they hadn’t seen it themselves.

Jinyoung snorted to herself and covered her mouth. The students covering the dance was more entertaining than the original.

“Hyong was there too,” she overheard a student say among a group of her peers.

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t know, but it was the funniest thing! Hyong was…”

“SH!” Jisoo hissed and then she looked over at Jinyong. “Good morning, Hong seonsaeng-nim.”

“Good morning, girls,” Jinyoung said back and walked into her classroom. She sat behind her desk and organized her things while wondering who ‘Hyong’ was. Had she heard them right? From the sound of it, this Hyong was a part of the musical, but she couldn’t recall any of her students having that name.

_Maybe it’s Dongwoo?_

* * *

“Someone was looking for you?” Jinyi told Jinyoung as they passed each other in the hallway.

“Really? Who was it? Dongwoo?” Jinyoung asked. Dongwoo had often asked for her help to find things that he misplaced around the school, and Jinyoung had a knack for finding them.

“No,” Jinyi replied curtly. “Sunggyu was,” she revealed and then continued down the hall before Jinyoung could even ask why he wanted her. Jinyoung then looked over at Sooryun, who had been walking with Jinyi. The old art teacher just shook her head and followed her friend, not giving Jinyoung any answers either.

“Do you know where he is?” Jinyoung asked Sooryun’s back. But the art teacher must not have heard her and kept teetering down the hall. Jinyoung sighed. It might’ve not been Dongwoo who wanted her, but she still had to go on a hunt for something. This time it was Snuggly.

First she went to check inside the faculty office. Dongwoo was there, and Chilgoo too. But the voice teacher was nowhere to be found. Jinyoung walked up to his desk anyways and scanned his things, searching for clues and just searching. She found a jar of lollipops in the corner of the desk. It was probably a gift from his students. She took the jar into her hands. Sunggyu was so loved by his students that gifts like these were probably a common thing. Jinyoung frowned. If she had received something like this, she’d probably treasure it ridiculously. It would rest unopened on her desk so that she could keep it forever.

“You can take one,” Dongwoo said. He then got up from his seat and walked over to her. He took the jar from her hands and opened it. “Sunggyu always lets me.” Dongwoo took out a lollipop, unwrapped it, and put it into his mouth. He then have the jar back to her. “Go ahead. Take one!”

“Well,” Jinyoung muttered as she looked down into the open jar. This was supposed to represent a student’s love for their teacher, for Sunggyu. But, then again, Sunggyu had so much of this love. Would he really notice or even care if she took a bit of it? Jinyoung wanted to feel loved too. “I’ll take just one,” she gave in and took a candy.

Unfortunately, she had to end her search there because her next class was about to start soon. She’d have to continue her search after school.

* * *

When Jinyoung was supervising and helping the art club painting the backdrop, it happened again.

“What do you think Hyong does after school?”

“I don't know. Do you think Hyong and Snuggly hang out?”

“I don't know about that. They’re kinda awkward around each other.  They don’t talk much. But I think Hyong and Jang-saem are friends.”

“Aren’t Jang-saem and Snuggly friends?”

“Yes, Jang-saem and Snuggly are friends. Hyong and Jang-saem are friends, but Snuggly and Hyong aren’t friends.”

“Oh! I get it now.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Well, I think it’s because…”

Jinyoung glanced over at the gossiping trio: Jaesuk, Jiae, and Sujeong. It was obvious now that ‘Hyong’ wasn't Dongwoo. So who was it then? It had to be someone close to Dongwoo, but not with Sunggyu. Jinyoung scooted closer to the trio and strained her ears, trying to catch why this Hyong person and Sunggyu weren’t friends. Maybe then she could figure out who Hyong was!

“Saem, you're dripping.”

“Huh?” Jinyoung pulled herself away from eavesdropping to look over at the student next to her. Daeyeol’s eyes, however, weren’t on her, but the backdrop, on which Jinyoung’s wet (positively soaked) paintbrush was dripping, and a big wet blob of blue was now soaking through the canvas. “Oh no!” she gasped and her hands flew to her face, which also caused her paintbrush to fly out of her hands and soar behind her.

“Ow!”

Jinyoung slowly turned around and saw that her brush had hit a student named Jaehyun, who now had a great blue streak across his face. She scrambled onto her feet and rushed over. “Jaehyun-goon! Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine,” Jaehyun replied but he had one eye shut tightly. “But I think it knocked out my contact.”

“I’ll find it!” Jinyoung exclaimed. She then dropped to her hands and knees, searching for his contact on the floor. “I’m good at finding things! I’ll find it very quickly. Really quickly! It’ll be like it never fell out!” she kept talking as she was crawling across the stage, looking desperately for it.

“Jaehyun-ah, it’s on your cheek,” Daeyeol pointed out to his classmate.

Jinyoung sat up on her knees and watched Jaehyun pat his cheeks for the missing contact and then finding it. “Oh! Thanks, hyung,” Jaehyun said as excitedly as he could with his languid voice. “I’ll just go put this back in.” With that, he left the theater.

Jinyoung sighed and stood back up. After she watched the door close behind Jaehyun, she turned back around to see Jaesuk and Daeyeol already fixing the great big, blue blob she left. Everything had turned out okay, so Jinyoung should feel better now. But she couldn’t. She was supposed to be guiding these kids, helping them, and not making a bigger mess of things. So she sighed again.

“I’ll start cleaning up,” she offered as she was grabbing Jaehyun’s discarded brushes first. At least cleaning she had faith in doing correctly. Although Jaehyun’s brushes were more paint-soaked than she thought, and they were staining her hands, her hands which she then used to wipe her face. So her face now was just as stained and blue as Jaehyun’s. She could feel the heavy paint clinging to her cheeks. Jinyoung whined. It really wasn’t her day. And now the students were sniggering at her.

“That’s Hyong for you,” Jiae whispered. “She’s the funniest when she doesn’t mean to be. I swear, I could watch her all day.”

Jinyoung raised her head and looked over at Jiae and Sujeong, who was now whispering to her friend to be quiet or else they’d get caught. _Wait...is Hyong me?_ Jinyoung grinned to herself as she got up to put the brushes away. _I have a nickname too! I’m Hyong! I don’t know why, but I don’t care! I have a nickname! Today is a great day!_

* * *

Once Jinyoung dismissed the art club, she walked around the halls. She hadn't forgotten. Sunggyu had looked for her earlier that day, and now that she had hours to think and ruminate over why he had, Jinyoung grew nervous to talk with him but still was anxious to find him. Was it about their conversation last night? Did he have more to say about it? Or was it something else? The students were right. Her and Sunggyu didn't really talk much, or at least they didn't use to. And so this was a first, Sunggyu wanting to find her to talk. _It has to be something about last night_ , Jinyoung concluded. _If it's not about Yewon, then it could be...did I do something embarrassing?_ Jinyoung stopped in her steps. Yes, she had done something embarrassing, but there was no way he could’ve known. The poster hanging in her room...

“Hong-saem!”

“Yes?” Jinyoung snapped her head back up and saw a crowd of students filtering out of the practice room. They must’ve just been dismissed. Jinyoung stood up straight and braced herself to greet her students with a warm smile on her face.

“Did you come to watch us?” Jiyeon approached her with a pout. Her voice dropped. “We just finished.”

Jinyoung shook her head. “No, not today,” she assured her student. “But I would _love_ to watch you guys sing again.”

“You’ll watch us?!” Jiyeon exclaimed. Jinyoung nodded slowly. “You promised, Hong-saem!” her student reminded before running off with her friends. And the History teacher watched the young girl totter up to her classmates. Jiyeon had gained a lot of confidence recently. Even in the classroom, she was speaking up more. This musical seemed to be bringing her more out of her shell, and she had a glow about her. _Like a real celebrity_ , Jinyoung thought to herself. _I wonder if Jiyeon found an agency yet._

“Hong-saem!”

Jinyoung flinched at that. It wasn’t the voice of student, not at all. She spun back around and faced Sunggyu, leaning in the doorway of the practice room with a cheeky smile on his face. So she smirked right back. “I heard you were looking for me, Kim- _saem_ ,” she spoke in a fakely sweet voice as she walked up to him. And surprisingly, with every step she took, he looked more taken aback. He stood up straight and his body became rigid. So she cocked her head once she was just two steps away. “Weren’t you?”

“Not really,” he admitted lowly and with a sheepish smile. “I just noticed you weren’t in the office earlier, and so I asked where you were.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and when he’d turned his head, Jinyoung noticed how red his ears were. He was embarrassed and she was too. Her whole face must be just as red as those ears, especially after he said, “I wasn’t looking for a reason. I was just...looking.”

She had assumed too much of him.

Jinyoung nodded and pursed her lips. “So you were just curious?” she pieced together.

“Eung,” Sunggyu hummed. “I must have picked up that bad habit from you.”

Jinyoung scoffed and looked back over at him. “Don’t blame it on me. You were always like that,” she dissed him and ended with a broad smile.

Sunggyu stuffed his hands in his pockets, relaxing a bit as he studied her. “Maybe,” he gave in but didn’t say anything more, which made Jinyoung feel even more awkward

She took a step back. “Well, if you weren’t looking for me then…”

“Since you’re here…” Sunggyu’s voice overlapped with hers. When they both noticed that they had, they kept gesturing for the other to continue but neither would, both insisting on being polite.

“It’s really nothing,” Jinyoung finally spat out, unable to take bear whatever they were doing anymore. “You can go ahead. You sounded like you had something to ask me.” She smiled at him. “Go ahead.”

“It’s...I could use your advice. Can you look at something for me?” he revealed and ushered her inside of the practice room. Jinyoung stepped inside but she was still hovering by the entrance as Sunggyu walked to take something from on the top of the piano.

“What is it?” Jinyoung asked.

Sunggyu held it up to show her. “The script. Come here,” he beckoned her with it, and Jinyoung slowly walked up to him.

“Why do you need my advice for that?” Jinyoung asked. She was now at his side, looking up at him with a slender smile. “Isn’t that already set?”

Sunggyu shook his head. “Not really,” he replied and turned to lean against the piano. As he was doing so, he was flipping through the pages of the script. “We were thinking about changing the dialogue for this scene,” he murmured under his breath as he searched for it. Jinyoung stepped in closer, leaning in to look at the pages as they flipped by. Then Sunggyu finally settled on a page and held it in front of her to read, although he still held it, which forced her to move in closer in order to read it. Their shoulders were touching.

But Jinyoung was too absorbed in the script to notice. “Oh yes, I see what you mean,” she muttered, leaning in even closer. She snorted and shook her head. “I can’t really picture the kids saying that.”

“Right?!” he exclaimed and shook the script in his hands. “It’s just too old fashioned.”

“Do you have a pen?” Jinyoung asked and finally raised her head, now noting how close they really were. _Wow,_ Jinyoung thought as she gazed at him, blinking. _Did he not shave today? Or does his hair grow really quickly?_

“Eung,” Sunggyu hummed and pulled away to search for a pen. When he found one, he stayed apart from her and handed the pen over. “Do you have an idea?”

“Yes,” she responded in a distracted voice. Her mind was busy thinking up of ways of how to sort out this outdated dialogue. Jinyoung placed the script on top of the piano and leaned over it as she began marking it, saying, “I was wondering if it’s possible if we could add another character into the scene like…”

Her voice caught in her throat. She stood back up and whipped her head around, and nearly fell into the piano as she did. Sunggyu must’ve been trying to read over her shoulder again because he was very close to her right now. And his hand, it was still picking at her shoulder. “You had a hair. Sorry,” he apologized and quickly withdrawing his hand from her once he’d finally grabbed the strand and tossed it away.

“No, thank you,” Jinyoung muttered, looking down at her shoulder and dusting it. There was nothing there now except for a lingering feeling, but that wouldn’t go away no matter how many times she wiped her shoulder. So Jinyoung turned around, clearing her throat. “Uh so…”

“Yes, what were you saying?” Sunggyu asked and walked over to sit on the piano bench, a safe distance away.

Jinyoung giggled as she watched him. “I can’t remember,” she admitted. Her mind was a blank.

Sunggyu shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. “Me either.”

Jinyoung bit her lip and focused back on the now crumpled script in her hand. When had she done that? “Maybe if I just look at it again,” she muttered as she straightened the script out. She then remembered her idea from seconds earlier. “Ah, right! What if we added…”

“Good, you’re both here.”

Her idea flew out of her head again and a squeal flew out of her mouth. Sunggyu too jumped up a bit when Chilgoo entered the room. The drama teacher looked back and forth between them. “You didn’t forget about me, did you?” he asked.

“Do we have a meeting?” Jinyoung asked, clutching the script to her racing heart.

“We do,” Chilgoo clarified, gesturing between him and Sunggyu. He then flashed a great grin at the woman. “But I’m happy you’re here too. I could always use an ally, when I go up against this guy.”

Jinyoung glanced down at the man on the piano bench and then back up at the drama teacher, waving her hands in dismissal. “Please, it’s not like that,” she said. “You don’t need my input anyway.”

“I do,” Chilgoo insisted. “You’ll want to get involved when you hear that this guy wants to change this _classic_ script!”

“Actually,” Sunggyu began as got up from the bench. “Hong seonsaeng-nim was helping me make adjustments to the script.”

“What?!” Chilgoo gasped and his eyes went wide. He looked as if he’d been betrayed.

“I don’t get why you’re so against changing this scene,” Sunggyu started complaining. “You always add improv scenes. What makes this so different?”

“That’s because it’s...Hong seonsaeng-nim! Where are you going?” Chilgoo caught Jinyoung as she was trying to sneak out of the room.

“I, uh…” Jinyoung’s voice drifted off as she tried to come up with an excuse. And luckily one came up for her. Her phone rang. “I need to take this call. Good night. Good luck with the script!” she wished them as she scurried out the door.

As much as she liked being a part of this musical right now, she never wanted to be caught in between their directing disputes again.

* * *

“Good morning, Dongwoo!” Jinyoung greeted her fellow teacher as she walked into the office the following morning. She was practically skipping towards her desk. As she was walking through the school that day, she kept hearing whispers of _her_ nickname. She was euphoric! Elated!

“You’re in a good mood this morning,” Dongwoo replied and walked over to her desk. “What happened?”

Jinyoung plopped down into her seat. “I...have a nickname!” she whispered excitedly to him and then giggled.

“Oh! You finally heard it!”

Jinyoung cocked an eyebrow. “ _You_ know about it?” She couldn’t believe it. Dongwoo could be a bit oblivious. He always had to be told that a student was there to see him, even if the student was standing at his desk (or even on one occasion, followed him inside). But this time, he was well aware, and he nodded proudly. “How?”

He shrugged. “I’ve heard it here and there, up and down,” he answered and pointed in all directions. “You’re Hyong-saem. Hong-hyung seonsaeng-nim,” he revealed.

“Hong-hyung? What?”

“It’s a compliment,” Dongwoo insisted. “Because you’re so free and nice. They see you as an older sibling.”

“Shouldn’t I be like...Hong-unnie? Noona?”

“Apparently you have a...hyung-like charm?” Dongwoo guessed. He then scratched his head. “I think it started with the guys.”

“Well,” Jinyoung started as she thought it over more. She grinned. “It’s nice to hear that I have any kind of charm at all.” Even if it was a boyish charm when she was a grown woman. It was better than no charm at all.

And she loved her new nickname even more for it.

* * *

Jinyoung’s good mood stayed with her for the rest of the day. And it might have rubbed off on her students. They still weren’t very interested in her history lesson but they at least weren’t all asleep (except Daeyeol but that was usual). Art club after school went very well too. She sniggered to herself whenever the students whispered about “Hyong” under their breaths. She knew their little secret, and it made her feel closer to them.

After a few hours of painting, it was obvious that everyone was losing focus, so she dismissed them and went in search of the other students in the musical. She had promised Jiyeon to watch them rehearse, and as the super cool and free “Hyong,” Jinyoung wanted to follow through with that promise. Also she was very curious about what they’ve been up to, and Jinyoung was never the type to deny her curiosity.

And that curiosity only grew when she stumbled upon the rehearsal room and only found Sunggyu there, sitting at the piano bench and slumped over the keys. _He dismissed them early_ , Jinyoung concluded. _Why? And why does he look like that? Did Joochan snap and kill him?_

She knocked on the open door. “Hello, can I come in?” she asked after clearing her throat. The body moved and rose up from the piano. _Good, he isn’t dead_ , she thought and smiled at him, who only looked up at her blankly.

“If you want to,” he replied lowly, while rubbing his eyes and turning back around to face the piano. So Jinyoung did come in, even though she didn’t feel quite welcomed to.

“Are you okay?” she didn’t even know if he would answer, but he did.

“Yea, just tired,” he grumbled with a slight nod. Sunggyu then sighed and faced her. “I need a vitamin.”

Jinyoung searched through the pockets of her overalls to see if she had anything even resembling a vitamin. But then she remembered that she did. The vitamin was wearing the overalls. She laughed. “Me?” she asked while pointing at herself. He nodded. “You really must be tired to be saying stuff like that,” she concluded and leaned up against the piano. The man nodded his head until it hung lowly. “Is the musical draining you?”

“It was an off day,” he mumbled, barely moving his lips. Jinyoung slid in closer to hear him. “Everyone took 5 steps back today. Just when I thought we were making real progress.”

“Oh, one of those days,” she remarked.

“Mm,” he grunted in return, rubbing his eyes once again.

Jinyoung pulled herself up and straightened her clothes. “Well, maybe you just need one person to sing a song perfectly,” she stated. And Sunggyu, too, stood up straight and raised his head to look at her. He was curious. Jinyoung soon relieved that curiosity by singing: “It’s crazy. I can’t stand it anymore. I can’t sleep the heavy breathing and the pain shake me. I get mad and all that’s left is regret...and longing,” she quickly lost confidence as she continued all because of that look Sunggyu was giving her, like she was crazy. It made her feel self-conscious. She wasn’t crazy, at least she didn’t think so.

As for what Sunggyu thought, well, now he was laughing. “What song is that?”

“Yours!”

Sunggyu waved his hand. “No, no, no. It sounds like a completely different song,” he was still laughing as he talked. “I used to sing that song for like 10 hours everyday, and what you sang is a completely different song.”

But Jinyoung didn’t find it as amusing as he did. She couldn’t help it if her voice cracked whenever she tried to hit the high notes, of which there were a lot in Heartthrob songs. She pouted. “Hm, it’s my style.” She then continued the song, “I cannot give up like this...What?!” This time her singing was cut short when Sunggyu hit a key on the piano. “What? Why did you do that?”

“That’s the note you should be singing,” he answered. “Try again.”

“I cannot—HEY!”

“Nope,” Sunggyu remarked after hitting the key again.

“Are you _sure_ that I’m not doing it?” Jinyoung retorted. “I—Come on!”

Sunggyu hit the key again. “Are you tone deaf?”

“Possibly,” she answered honestly. Sunggyu laughed again. It was infectious. Jinyoung smiled too. She tapped the piano. “Try it again,” she urged him. So Sunggyu did. He hit a key, and Jinyoung tried her best to match it. But her voice oscillated between three notes as she did.

“You _are_ tone deaf,” he teased.

Jinyoung pinched her fingers together. “Just a little bit,” she responded in a light voice.

A tight grin pulled across his face, and he repeated, “A little.”

Jinyoung mimicked that smile and propped herself against the piano. “You seem more awake now,” she noted.

“Well, your singing could wake the dead,” Sunggyu joked.

Jinyoung gasped, not because she was offended but because she was intrigued by the idea: “That would be cool if I actually could.”

“You’re ridiculous,” he muttered while shaking his head at her, not in disapproval. No, he was still smiling. But that smile didn’t last for much longer. He glanced over at her while he started to straighten up the music sheets on the piano, getting ready to leave. “What are you going to do after this?”

Jinyoung stood up straight again and rubbed her hands together. “Go home? Have dinner with the Hyuns? I haven’t been able to do that for awhile,” she pondered out loud. She then looked back down at the other.  “What about you?”

Sunggyu was still busying himself with the sheets. “Well, Hwang has been trying to get me to meet with her daughter,” he muttered. He then put the papers down and met the other’s gaze. “Maybe I should tonight.”

“Hm,” Jinyoung hummed as she looked away. “I wonder if she’s like her mother.”

Sunggyu let out a soft groan. “I hope not.”

Jinyoung sputtered at the image of a mini- Hwang Jinyi with a temper to match her mother. Sunggyu raised an eyebrow at her. “If she is, you’ll be even more tired after dealing with her, like fighting a bull,” she revealed what was going on in her mind.

“Right,” Sunggyu agreed. He then spun around on the bench, facing the woman. “But if that should happen, if she’s like her mother, I’ll probably need another vitamin after that.”

“I’m sure Dongwoo would help you out if things get that bad. He always makes me happy,” Jinyoung responded.

Sunggyu spun around again, towards the piano. “Right,” he mumbled. He then stood up. “We should probably get going.”

Jinyoung watched him for a few seconds. He looked tired again, maybe even more so. She sighed. She wasn’t a strong enough vitamin for him. “Right, I don’t want to keep the Hyuns waiting. I’ll leave first,” she announced as she slowly backed away from him, waving. “Good night, Kim seonsaeng-nim.” She then turned around and headed out the door.

Since she was so far away, she thought she’d misheard the other saying, “Night, Jinyoung.”

* * *

It took her a long time to get home, but it always did. However, somehow the ride seemed longer and longer now, probably because she was riding home later and later. She was dragging her feet up the stairs to her apartment, and her head was staring at the floor. She didn’t have the strength to keep it upright. She had no strength at all. Jinyoung full intended to collapse on the couch when she got home...or in her doorway if she couldn’t make it that far. And she was going to sleep until the Hyuns pull her out of her apartment and fed her.

However, she didn’t have to wait long for the Hyuns’ arrival. Hyunae was already there inside of her apartment.

“Oh my gosh!” Jinyoung exclaimed, falling back on her front door and clutching her heart. “What are you doing here?”

“Woohyun was taking a shower, and I had to use the bathroom,” Hyunae answered as she eased herself carefully onto the couch. After she did, she smiled happily up at her friend.

“You guys are married!” Jinyoung reminded her and walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. “Can't you just, I don't know, go in with him?”

“I do! But…” Hyunae drawled out and gave her friend an embarrassed grin as she played with the hem of her shirt.

“But?” Jinyoung prompted her.

“I don’t when it's going to smell.”

“Hyunae!” Jinyoung whined. This wasn’t the first time that Hyunae had invaded her apartment for this reason. She and Woohyun had been married for awhile. Woohyun knew everything about Hyunae, even the fact that Hyunae pooed. But, sometimes, she’d still get shy and dart across the hall into Jinyoung’s place to “relieve” herself.

Apparently Hyunae was fine with Jinyoung smelling her mess, but Woohyun was too “special” for that. Jinyoung guessed there was a difference being them being like sisters, and them being husband and wife. She still wanted to seem flawless to him, even though Woohyun knew all of her flaws and loved them.

“It'll air out,” Hyunae brushed the issue aside. Then she turned towards Jinyoung and tapped her shoulder. “But more importantly, are you back into idol bands? I thought you got out of that phase.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Jinyoung feigned ignorance, blinking at her.

But Hyunae just cocked her head. She couldn’t be deterred: “The poster in the bedroom.”

“Oh, um, yea,” Jinyoung mumbled, averting her gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess I can't quit that life.”

“It's okay,” Hyunae replied. Jinyoung looked over at her again. Hyunae was taking this better than she thought. No chiding. And Hyunae was the one who often told her to fall in love with a real man instead of an idol. Never did she expect Hyunae to say: “I kinda miss fangirl Jinyoung.”

“Really?”

“Eung,” she hummed excitedly. “I never hear you talk about boys as excitedly or lovingly as when you talk about your idols. Not even the man upstairs or Howon, who you actually dated.” She chuckled softly. “He was my favorite of your exes.”

Jinyoung rolled her eyes. Hyunae was more into her relationship with Howon than Jinyoung herself was, but that was probably because Jinyoung was finally in a “serious” relationship, although it never seemed that serious to Jinyoung.

She rearranged herself on the couch to get closer to her friend. “I know. You made Woohyun nervous a few times with how attentive you were to Howon,” she whispered.

“Eh, Woohyun knows that my heart is only his,” Hyunae whispered back. A corner of her mouth picked up into a smile. She could never refrain from smiling whenever she talked about them. But she didn’t want to be the only one to gush about her love: “So tell me about your new boyfriends!”

“Huh?”

“The idol group in the poster,” Hyunae reminded her. “They look a bit…”

“Old fashioned?” Jinyoung finished for her. “They are. They debuted a long time ago, and they already disbanded,” she lowered her head and mumbled her answer. She felt weird talking about this. She didn’t really want to talk about it.

“Really?” But Hyunae wouldn’t let it go. “What got you into them?”

Jinyoung hummed in thought, while she tried to think of an appropriate and not to revealing of an answer. And she settled on this semi-honest reply: “A music video. Do you wanna see it?” An answer followed by a distraction, the best solution for how to deal with Hyunae.

“Please!” And the distraction worked. Jinyoung pulled out her laptop from her bag and brought the music video onto the screen. Her heart was racing. Was she nervous? Why? _Maybe this is why they are called Heartthrob_ _because it makes you anxious to watch them._

But she had no reason to worry, maybe. “It's so good and bad at the same time!” Hyunae exclaimed. She then grabbed onto Jinyoung’s arm. “Oh my gosh! Pause it! Pause right now!” She was the one to pause it because Jinyoung froze. Hyunae pointed at the screen, and Jinyoung felt caught. “That’s the guy! From the historical drama!” she exclaimed, pointing at the guy on the left. “Kim Myungsoo!”

“It is!” Jinyoung squealed. She and the Hyuns watched that drama religiously, when they liked it and when they really didn’t. But they all really liked the actor Kim Myungsoo, and Jinyoung was having a really hard time containing her curiosity around his former leader. She had been very good. That guy had no idea.

“That’s right!” Hyunae exclaimed while clapping her hands. “When we watched Masked Singer, he said he used to be in an idol group.” She then gave her friend a light shove and a coy look. “Of course you would look them up and buy their whole discography.” Hyunae giggled and leaned against the back of the couch while looking at her friend knowingly. “So you moved on from The Man Upstairs to The Ex-Idol, huh?”

“Um, I guess you could say that,” Jinyoung mumbled, staring at the computer screen.

“Hey!” a new voice entered the conversation. The girls jumped at it. Woohyun closed the door behind him and put his hands on his hips while he squared up against the women. “Did you guys forget about me?”

“Kinda,” Jinyoung admitted.

“Sh!” Hyunae hushed her. She then turned her attention to her husband. “Sorry, honey, we just got distracted.”

“By what?” Woohyun asked. Hyunae turned around the laptop and pressed play. Woohyun watched the music video for a few seconds and then looked over at Jinyoung. “Jinyoung-ah, be honest. Is the only reason why you teach at that school is to be near idols?” he asked.

“No,” Jinyoung immediately denied. “The pay was better than my old school. Besides more than just trainees go to Arts School... _and_ I might get to teach future idols,” she finally admitted. She crossed her arms defensively. “I’ll be damned if one of them gets into a scandal for not knowing their history! Damned!”

“I’ll be damned if I don’t eat soon,” Woohyun retorted. He then faced his wife. “Honey?”

“Dinner’s on the table already,” Hyunae responded. She then closed the laptop. “Now stop watching that crappy video and let’s eat!”

* * *

Jinyoung hadn’t ate with the Hyuns for too long, that’s what she concluded. She had missed so much in their lives. Woohyun was going to get a promotion. Hyunae had grown rounder, or had the baby inside of her grew? And there were baby things that were littering their apartment that hadn’t been there before. She had spent most of the dinner catching up with them, and when she was about to update them about the musical, her phone rang. It was Yewon. Jinyoung explained that she had to take the call and that Yewon was having a hard time.

And when the phone call was finished and she came back, Hyunae was already asleep. But Woohyun was still awake and waiting for her. He handed her a glass. “It looks like you could use a drink.”

Jinyoung smirked and took the glass. “How did you know?”

They talked for a bit longer. Jinyoung told him a bit about the musical, mostly about the art club. But she didn’t know what she said to have Woohyun to give her that look. “What? What did I say?” she asked.

“It seems like you don’t have much time these days,” Woohyun remarked.

Jinyoung nodded. “Yea, I don’t.” At that, Woohyun let out a heavy sigh. “Why? Why did you just do that?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but when are you going to date again?” Woohyun asked.

Jinyoung recoiled. “Wh-what?” she stammered. “Do you want to get rid of me?”

“No, I told you not to take it the wrong way,” he replied. “I just want you to be taken care of.”

“I can do that myself,” Jinyoung responded, pouting.

“You can but…” Woohyun paused, thinking over his words carefully. “I overheard you on the phone with your friend.”

Jinyoung shifted in her seat and chose her own words carefully too, “She’s going through a rough time is all.”

“I figured,” Woohyun accepted that vague response. “But if you take care of her, take care of your students, look after Hyunae and me, when do you look after yourself?” he challenged. Jinyoung looked away and started drinking again. As far as she was concerned, she took care of herself well. She didn’t need someone else to do that for her. But Woohyun thought differently: “I’m only saying this because...you remind me a lot of myself. I thought I took care of myself well, until I met Hyunae. Now I know what it means to be really looked after.”

“You guys do, don’t you?” Jinyoung responded. “You guys take care of me.”

“Yes, but…” Woohyun paused again. After chewing on his lip, he took a drink and continued, “Jinyoung, soon we’ll have something else to look after.”

“I know,” she grumbled in return and finished her drink. Woohyun refilled it.

“Hyunae’s worried too,” he said as he was refilling. “She talks about it a lot.”

“What?” she gasped. “She’s never mentioned it to me.” Instead of talking about her worries, this afternoon they talked about idols and a silly, outdated music video.

“I know. That’s why I am,” Woohyun replied. He then finished his drink too. Jinyoung refilled it in return, as she did, she noticed that he seemed down and mulling over whether he should say something or not.

“What is it?” Jinyoung prompted him. “You look like you have something to say.”

Woohyun sighed. “You know Hyunae. She’s a lot more private with her worries than you are.” Jinyoung nodded. That was a reason why they worked well together because they respected each other’s privacy. And that was also why Hyunae and Woohyun worked well together because she could open up to him more than anyone else. In fact, Jinyoung learned more things about Hyunae through Woohyun than through Hyunae herself, including this: “Don’t ever mention this, but before this baby, Hyunae has had two miscarriages.”

“What?” Jinyoung sputtered, spitting out some of her drink. While she was wiping her mouth, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We really wanted to have a kid, and probably wanted it too much,” Woohyun replied, eyes fixed on his glass as he rolled it around in his hands. “As it turns out, it’s hard to have a kid. Even if you conceive...it means nothing.”

“Yea, but why didn’t you tell me?” Jinyoung repeated her question.

“We aren’t like you, Jinyoung. We’re not as open,” Woohyun answered. He then looked up at her and smiled. “But even then, you helped us through that time more than you know. You made us laugh.”

“How?”

“Remember when we went on that trip to Jeju suddenly and the three of us climbed Mount Halla?” Woohyun asked.

“Eung,” Jinyoung grunted while rolling her eyes around, trying to recollect the trip. It was fun, but nothing to her stood out. In fact, the Hyuns seemed kinda down. At times, Jinyoung felt like she was having fun on her own, but there was a reason for that.

“That was after the second miscarriage,” he confessed. “It was kind of a big deal. We wanted to prove how healthy we were. That we could do it.” He then began chuckling and lightly shoved her. “And you, you beat us to the top.”

“That’s only because you were waiting for Hyunae,” Jinyoung mumbled. Her skin was growing hot. She was embarrassed. She didn’t just beat them to the top; she raced them up there and left them behind in the dust. She knew that Hyunae was struggling, but she just thought her best friend was being her usual out-of-shape self. She had no idea what she had been through, or what the both of them had been through. “If I had only known…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Woohyun tried to comfort her and patted her on the shoulder. “Do you remember what happened afterwards?”

“No,” she answered honestly.

“You made us laugh,” Woohyun reminded her. “You made us laugh that entire trip. Like remember when you were playing Jenga by yourself?”

Jinyoung pouted. “That’s only because you guys weren’t playing with me.”

“Yea, but right after you said ‘I’m _really_ good at this game, guys’ the whole tower came falling down,” he recounted while laughing through it all. He then mimicked the whole tower crumbling down. Another heatwave of embarrassment washed over Jinyoung.

“You remember that?” she asked, covering her red cheeks.

“Eung, Hyunae and I laughed about that for a _really_ long time, long after the trip,” and Woohyun was still laughing about it. And while she watched him, the heat died down. Jinyoung smiled.

“At least it’s good for making you laugh,” she replied.

Woohyun nodded as his laughter died down. He became sober, but he still had a gentle grin on his face. “We love you, Jinyoung,” he said. “That’s why we want you to have someone that takes as good of care of you as you do for us.”

Jinyoung looked down at the glass in her hands. _It’s not that easy_...She closed her eyes and sighed. _I don’t even know where to start, and it’ll only get harder as I get older. I wonder if soon I should._..Jinyoung stopped herself from going down that train of thought. Instead she promised Woohyun, “I’ll try.” Just so that he would feel better.

Woohyun nudged her playfully. “What about the Man Upstairs?” he asked.

“He has a girlfriend,” Jinyoung confessed.

“Really? Damn,” Woohyun cursed.

Jinyoung laughed at how disappointed he looked. The Hyuns really had their hopes pinned on the man upstairs. They both were really romantics. But maybe it was time for all three of them to stop fantasizing and start being more realistic. “Are you sure you don’t want to introduce me to your colleagues?” she asked.

“If it comes to that, I will,” Woohyun answered with a nod. “But they all don’t deserve you though.”

“Eh,” Jinyoung responded and nudged him right back. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Woohyun shook his head vehemently as he drank some more. When he swallowed, he insisted, “Hyunae and I will be. We know what’s good for you. Better than you do.”

Jinyoung grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of dating someone without your approval.”

“Good because if we didn’t like him, Hyunae and I would chase him off.”

“I know.”

* * *

After she finished her drink, Jinyoung wished him good night and went back into her apartment. She felt better than when she first got home earlier that day, but she also felt a bit heavier, in her heart. Jinyoung walked into the bedroom, and when she closed her door, she saw _it_ again, the poster. She didn’t know what she was thinking. Maybe because it made her feel good when she did it before, but when she hit the poster this time, it just hurt her hand. It didn’t bring her the joy it did before, just pain.

* * *

Jinyoung still felt heavy the next day, but this time, all over. She didn’t sleep so well, so her limbs were dragging behind her, especially now at the end of the day. Art club was over for the day, and she was cleaning up the stage and getting things for the next day. Even the chorus of “Hyong” from her students didn’t perk her up like it usually did. This vitamin needed a vitamin herself...because the album she was listening to wasn’t helping, although she was singing along with it.

“I knew it,” a voice pierced through her headphones. Jinyoung took an earbud out of her ear and glanced over at the door. Sunggyu was there, with a lollipop in his mouth, holding it in with a tight-lipped smile. He pulled it out and held the lollipop between his fingers as if it was a cigarette. “You listened to the albums?”

Jinyoung stood up from her seat on the stage. “I did,” she answered honestly as she wiped her hands against her coveralls. There was no reason to lie. She was caught red handed, literally. There was red paint on her hands...and now on her clothes. She grinned at the other. “I bought them too. Did you get any money from them?” Jinyoung asked.

Sunggyu shook his head as he walked up to the stage. “Not yet,” he answered.

“I hope you do,” she replied, walking up to meet him at the edge of the stage. “I want to support Heartthrob, even though it's a bit late.” When she got to the edge, she sat down.

“Yea, thanks for supporting us _after_ we disbanded,” he joked and stopped at the edge of the stage, right in front of her.

“No problem! I do what I can,” Jinyoung responded, her smile falling a bit as she fidgeted in her seat. Sunggyu was waiting for her to say something else. She knew it. He popped the sucker back into his mouth and teetered back and forth on his feet. So she sighed and gave him the compliment that he wanted, sort of: “I like the albums, a lot, by the way. And Myungsoo was really cute back then. _Seriously_ cute. His voice is too. I didn’t know he could sing like that.”

Now when Sunggyu pulled out the lollipop, the pout remained on his face. “Yea, he can sing, but I sing more.”

“I know! You sing almost the whole track!” Jinyoung exclaimed. She felt like she had to prove to him that she did indeed know Heartthrob.

“I was the main vocal. So of course it’s like that,” Sunggyu explained.

“I _know_.” Jinyoung rolled her eyes and stood back on the stage. She had to return some supplies back to the art room and there were stray paint brushes everywhere. But she wasn’t the only one on stage for long. She heard the other walk up the stairs.

“You like the songs, so you must like my voice,” Sunggyu called her out.

“Huh?” Jinyoung dropped all of the brushes that she had picked up. “Can you help me? Please?” she asked. “I have a lot of stuff to bring back to the art room and props closet.”

“Oh sure,” he sputtered, and he came up to her to help her out. Jinyoung handed him a few paint cans. “Do we really have to go to the supply closet? I hate that place.”

“Yep.”

And in all honesty, Jinyoung wasn’t fond of that closet either, even after she had the kids clean it up. But now that she wasn’t in the creepy closet by herself, with the giant portrait of Chilgoo, it was a bit better, and so she didn’t rush out like she normally would. She just casually walked out with Sunggyu, and they walked over to the art room.

“You know,” Sunggyu began. Jinyoung looked over at him. The both of them were fiddling with the paintbrushes in their hands. “Your voice isn't half bad. You have some potential. How about I teach you how to sing?” he offered.

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay.”

“Come on. It’d be good practice for me, like a challenge,” he pursued. “I’ve taught people like you before.”

Jinyoung shook her head again, harder this time. “No, I’d get frustrated,” her voice was tenser too.

Sunggyu chuckled softly. “I’ve taught frustrated people too,” he retorted.

“But I don’t want to get frustrated _with you_ ,” Jinyoung stopped in her tracks at the last few words. She then looked away and moved on. “I don’t want to hate you,” she mumbled under her breath.

But Sunggyu still caught it. “You’d hate me? Really?” he asked, trying to catch her eye.

“Maybe. Possibly?” Jinyoung was dodging giving a straight answer and his gaze. But eventually she had to do both. They had reached the art room and Sunggyu was holding the door open for her. “I’m not...musically inclined. I don’t have a sense of rhythm. And you know that I don’t know how to control my voice,” she said as she walked through the door. Sunggyu grinned and nodded while he followed her into the room. She was walking backwards into the room so that she was still facing him. “It’s just something I’m not good at…do I have to be?” She stopped in her steps, and he did too.

“To teach history? No,” Sunggyu answered. “There’s no reason for you to be, even at this school.”

“I know, but still…” Jinyoung paused and lowered her head, staring at the brushes she was playing with in her hands. She continued in a lower voice, “...do _you_ think that I should be good at singing?”

Sunggyu shifted his weight and cocked an eyebrow. “Not if you don’t want to be,” he replied carefully.

“It won’t frustrate _you_?” she asked more directly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sunggyu cocked his head, growing more confused. “That you can’t sing. Why would it?”

“Because singing is your life and passion, and when I sing,” she stopped to frown and glare at the other. “I hit all the wrong notes and butcher songs.”

“Oh!” Sunggyu exclaimed as he tipped his head back. He started laughing in disbelief. “You, are you harboring a grudge over what I said last time?” he asked, pointing at himself.

“It seemed to bother you. You kept playing the notes, on the piano,” she replied, grinding her teeth together.

Sunggyu was teetering back and forth, watching her carefully. “It doesn’t bother me. I was just…kidding,” he said the last word with a heavy sigh. “It’s not _that_ important to me. And my passion now is...teaching.”

Jinyoung sighed too, but it was more out of relief. She was starting to feel lighter again, and she smiled. “Okay, I was just making sure,” she told him. She tried to look brighter to lift the atmosphere. “I just really like my style of singing. It’s fun! Doing it like this, would make it feel like work, to sing seriously. I can express my feelings better this way,” she joked. She then began singing, “You tied me up, tied me up and took away, took away my heart.”

Sunggyu began cringing almost immediately after she started singing. He backed away from her. “You’re good at expressing feeling at least. I can feel your pain, literally,” he joked. So Jinyoung wanted him to “feel” her pain even more and stepped in closer, singing more loudly. After that, he covered his ears. “Okay, this is _really_ bothering me now.”

Her voice stopped in her throat, which became tight. She cleared it. “Sorry.” She then took the paint brushes from his hands. “Thank you for helping me out. You can go home now.”

“Glad to help,” Sunggyu replied as he backed slowly out of the room. “By the way, what note is this?” he asked and then sang some, steady note, that Jinyoung assumed was supposed to be obvious.

Except that she didn’t know what it was at all. “A musical note, duh!” she joked, and the other started laughing. Or he was until she asked. “ When did the Gwanseo Peasant War begin?”

Sunggyu stopped in the doorway. “Uh…a long time ago,” he answered.

“December 18, 1811,” Jinyoung revealed with a bright smile. “You do your job well, and I’ll do mine.”

“Point taken,” Sunggyu responded. “Good night.”

“Night!” she called after him, who was already out of the door, and she covered her mouth as soon as he turned the corner again. _Casual again. Why do I keep doing that_? But her heart knew why. Her eyes drifted over to the doorway again, after putting the brushes away. Sunggyu was walking past the door again, towards the school’s exit, phone to his ear. _Didn’t he meet with Hwang’s daughter? Is he on the phone with her now? Or is it someone else?_ Jinyoung leaned against a desk in the room. Sunggyu was a guy with many girls chasing after him. But who was he chasing after? Or was he just going to let himself get caught?

 _I don’t think I want to know_.


	6. High School Snuggly

Hong Jinyoung, aka Hyong, was at her desk in the teachers’ office, rolling a lollipop in her mouth. Yes, she stole it from Snuggly’s desk, again. She only had taken 3 or 7, but there were so many on his desk that she knew that they wouldn’t be missed. And sucking on this candy helped to improve her concentration when she was grading tests, which she had a lot of. And she also needed the candy because grading made her sad.

“I swore to myself that none of these kids would get into a scandal because they didn’t know their history,” Jinyoung muttered to herself while rubbing her forehead. She sighed as she flipped a paper over. “I just hope this kid never becomes an idol.”

“Jinyoung.”

“Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed and jumped in her seat. “Sunggyu?” that felt slightly weird to call him that, but she guessed that was where they were. After all, they had known each other for three years. Maybe it was about time.

Sunggyu put his hands in his pockets and gazed down at her, with his chin tilted up. “So this is where my lollipops are going?” he caught her.

“Just one or two,” Jinyoung’s voice was muffled. She pulled the lollipop out of her mouth and offered it to him. “Do you want it back?” Sunggyu grimaced and waved his hands. Jinyoung sniggered and then she admitted quietly, “I probably shouldn’t be taking gifts from your students.”

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t a gift,” Sunggyu confessed.

“Ah, okay,” she said and slowly popped it back into her mouth.

“So...” Sunggyu drawled out as he leaned against her desk. Jinyoung spun towards him and raised an eyebrow. “An old high school friend came up for job training. And since you don't believe me about my high school life…” his voice drifted off as well as his gaze.

“Who would?!” she interjected. “You'd have to be a god to be like that.”

“I was a god,” he fought back. Jinyoung rolled her eyes at him and spun back around. He snickered. “Seriously, I can prove it if you meet with me and my friend tonight.”

Jinyoung looked back over at him and frowned, tapping her pen against the desk. “I would but I already promised Yewonnie that I would have dinner with her,” she revealed. But Jinyoung wasn’t quite sure if she was saying that as an excuse or just saying it. Not knowing that made her anxious and made her tap the pen more quickly.

“Didn’t you eat with her last night?” Sunggyu asked. Jinyoung dropped her pen and stared at him quizzically. How did he know that? Did she tell him? Probably. She told people everything, but did it mean something that he remembered?

Jinyoung didn’t know but she knew this: “Yes. We like eating together. I like my friend!” She knew that it was none of Sunggyu’s damn business who she ate dinner with.

However, he seemed to want to make her dinner plans his business tonight: “Then bring her too.”

“Hm?”

Sunggyu leaned more heavily on the desk, getting comfortable. “She’s your high school friend, right?” Jinyoung nodded. He lowered his head closer to hers and whispered, “Well, I don't believe you about your high school life either.”

“What? What don’t you believe? I told you the truth!” Jinyoung sputtered and pointed her pen at him.

He smirked at her reaction and shrugged. “This and that,” he dodged giving a straight answer. “Yewon can tell me the truth tonight.” And that smirk turned into a sly grin.

Jinyoung pursed her lips and gripped the pen tightly. This guy really knew how to work her. “Fine, I'll ask her if she wants to eat with us. I mean, if she wants us to eat with you guys,” she corrected herself. She then slid her chair closer to him and gestured at him to come closer. He did. And she whispered, “But I can’t promise she’ll say ‘yes’ because of…”

Sunggyu pulled away, nodding. “I know. I know. _That_ thing.”

Jinyoung sighed and scooted back to her spot. “Crowds make her anxious now. She doesn’t trust people very much anymore,” after she said that she couldn’t help another sigh from escaping her lips. “So I don’t know how she’d feel about meeting with two strange men.” She glanced over at said strange man.

“Well, I’m not strange,” but Sunggyu thought differently. “She knows about me, doesn’t she? Doesn’t she?” he pressed when Jinyoung wasn’t answering.

But she honestly couldn’t remember if she had or hadn’t mentioned him to Yewon. “Maybe? Probably? I do tell her about what goes on around here, but mostly I listen to her…talk. So I can’t remember if you ever came up,” she confessed to him, and it was obvious that he wasn’t liking what he was hearing. Jinyoung giggled out of shame. “Let me ask her if she wants to go,” she diverted the conversation and pulled out her phone. But she didn’t quite know how to phrase the text. She never asked Yewon something like this. She never asked anyone something like this. _Hey, do you want to eat with a coworker of mine and a guy we both don’t know so that I can satisfy my curiosity?_

Fortunately (or not), Sunggyu was peering over her shoulder, reading her screen, ready to offer help. Jinyoung lowered her phone and raised her eyes up to him. “I’m the handsome and cool voice teacher, not just ‘some guy,’” Sunggyu amended. “Change that.”

Jinyoung scoffed. “You’re the only voice teacher at this school,” she murmured under her breath and finished the text, sending it on its way. “There, I asked her. I’ll tell you what she says.”

“Good,” Sunggyu said and returned to his spot against her desk.

“So what is it that you don’t believe about me in high school?” Jinyoung asked after she put down her phone and spun around to face him.

Sunggyu shrugged. “I just don’t.” He narrowed his eyes on her. “Something just doesn’t add up.”

Jinyoung pouted as she rolled the lollipop in her mouth again. She then took it out and wagged it at him “I hope Yewon does say ‘yes’ so I can prove you wrong for doubting me. You’re going to feel silly,” she told him.

“So are you!” Sunggyu argued back. “I was popular, _seriously_ popular.”

Jinyoung rolled her eyes at him exaggeratedly as she spun back towards her desk, but she ended up spinning around in a full circle. “Oh!” she gasped with her eyes wide. “Is Dongwoo coming?” Sunggyu didn’t answer, but it wasn’t like Jinyoung gave him enough time to. “Did you ask Dongwoo? He should come with us too. I _know_ I’ve told Yewonnie about him.” The both of them had talked about making the trek over to his family’s restaurant one day (Dongwoo had promised some service too).

Sunggyu shifted in his spot before answering, “Dongwoo has a date tonight.”

Jinyoung popped the sucker back into her mouth. “Oh right, I forgot,” she murmured and was slightly disappointed. She knew that Dongwoo would’ve helped to put Yewon at ease when it came to guys in general.

“Not surprised,” Sunggyu remarked in a lighter tone.

“I’m curious,” Jinyoung began and she rolled a bit closer to him. “What do _you_ think about her?”

Sunggyu glanced about the room before pointing at himself. “Me?!” he wanted that to be clarified. Jinyoung nodded and pointed at him. Sunggyu, in turn pointed back at her. “I was wondering what _you_ thought about Dongwoo dating.”

“Me?!” Jinyoung sounded just as shocked as he did. “I like it!” she insisted. _Why wouldn’t I?_

Sunggyu didn’t believe her. “Really?”

“Of course!” Jinyoung said with a great nod. “That guy wants to settle down. And have you seen him with his niece? He’s ready to be a dad,” she reasoned. “Don’t you think?” She wasn’t feeling comfortable with how quiet Sunggyu was being.

“And you don’t mind?” he finally spoke up and it confused her. “That he’s seeing another girl?”

“Another girl? Why would I?” Jinyoung turned the question around in an unsure voice. “I want him to meet many girls until he finds the right one. That’s not weird, is it?”

“I thought...” Sunggyu paused and shifted again. He seemed unsure himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked her up and down, trying to figure her out. “I thought you liked him.”

“Me?” Jinyoung asked. He nodded, and she scoffed. “Me?! Like _that_ guy?!” She gestured over to Dongwoo’s desk besides her.

“Yes,” he replied. Jinyoung’s jaw dropped, at which Sunggyu snorted. “Oh come on! Don’t give me that look! It _totally_ seems like you like him. You always smile when he’s around.”

Jinyoung lowered her voice (because they had been basically shouting at each other and maybe that wasn’t appropriate to do at an office), but she slowly raised her gaze up to him dramatically. “That’s because he’s Jang Dongwoo,” she replied.

“Good point,” Sunggyu responded while dropping his own eyes to the floor.

Jinyoung scanned him for a few seconds, wondering what was going on in his head. She didn’t figure it out, so she just continued talking to make herself clearer, “I might be a vitamin, but he’s the sun.” _Oh no, that didn’t help_. Sunggyu perked up and glared at her curiously out of the corner of his eye. Jinyoung put her hands up. “Ah, that sounded like I like him again, doesn’t it?” Sunggyu nodded, to which Jinyoung shook her head empathetically. “I don’t. We’d make a _horrible_ couple.”

Now he looked more interested than confused: “What? Why?”

Why? Well, that wasn’t something Jinyoung really gave much thought to. In fact, she _never_ gave any thought to dating Dongwoo. There was a reason for that, a reason that laid more with her than him. Jinyoung rubbed the back of her neck as she figured out how to put it into words. Then she finally did, “I feel...I feel like I’d bother him. No, I _know_ I’d bother him, if we’d ever got together.”

While she had been thinking, Sunggyu apparently got tired of leaning against her desk and wandered over to Dongwoo’s empty desk, taking his seat, and dragging it over to sit next to her. “Why is that?” he asked when she finished.

With a sigh, Jinyoung turned towards him but didn’t want to look at him. “I’d smother him,” she revealed. And that was the truth. Dongwoo would grow tired of her and her ways.

However, her coworker doubted it was true: “You? _You_ smother Dongwoo?” Jinyoung looked up at him and nodded, popping the lollipop back in her mouth. Sunggyu leaned back in the chair while shaking his head. “Wouldn’t it be the other way around? He's very...into skinship,” he fought.

“I know, but _I'd_ be the smotherer, trust me,” Jinyoung insisted. She sucked in a deep breath before explaining herself because she was going to say all of this as quickly as she could, “Sometimes people don’t like it when others pry into their lives, if you can imagine. Like with Dongwoo, if I kept asking him where he was, what he was doing, who he was with, he might think that I don't trust him rather than just me being curious. He'd find it smothering. I feel like there would be few people who could handle my nosiness. They’d probably have to be just as nosy as I am.” She was kind of breathless when she finished. And Sunggyu seemed to be following along if his constant nodding could indicate anything.

But that smirk on his lips right now showed that he wasn’t only following but processing. He quirked an eyebrow as he retorted, “Like me?”

“Yes, like you. But you know, not you specifically,” Jinyoung brushed it off as she turned back to her papers. _I probably need to get back to grading these_ , she thought as her fingers flipped through them. A frown formed on her face, which only deepened when someone wouldn’t let her get back to them.

“Hong seonsaeng-nim? Do you like someone? Right now?”

Her gaze didn’t stray from the papers as she grabbed a red pen. “No, not yet,” she answered, trying to sound casual and not as surprised as she felt.

“Not yet? What?” Sunggyu picked on that because he found something funny in it. “Are you planning to or something?”

Now she couldn’t ignore it/him. She put the pen down. “It’s not like that. Geez, that sounds conniving,” Jinyoung spoke through her teeth and then shot a pointed glare at him, but she couldn’t hold it for long. “I just...have someone in mind, I guess. But still keeping my options open at the moment,” she defended herself, while tapping her pen against the tests.

“Oh.” Finally he accepted something as an answer and was satisfied with it. Maybe a little too satisfied. He tapped her on her upper arm with his finger. When she looked over he asked with a cheeky smile, “Is that guy me?”

Jinyoung stared at him blankly for a few seconds and waited for that smile to fade on his face before she retorted with a snort (and a smile herself), “Do even hear yourself before you speak? What? Do you not have enough girls fawning over you?”

“Nope,” Sunggyu answered honestly.

“Whatever,” she dismissed him casually and laughed while she waved him off. “I have to finish grading, but I’ll tell you what Yewonnie says.”

“Eung,” he grunted as he got up from the chair and returned it to Dongwoo’s desk.

“Okay, see you then and I’ll see if you’re telling the truth,” Jinyoung teased.

The Music teacher spun back towards her and raised his arms up, while walking backwards. “You’re going to feel silly when you learn that you’ve been doubting me for no reason,” he fought back.

“Just go!” Jinyoung exclaimed with a laugh, waving him off again. “You’re going to be late for class!”

He looked down at his watch. “Oh, you’re right!” he sputtered and then waved ‘goodbye’ to her before spinning back around and scurrying off.

Once he left the office and turned the corner, Jinyoung let her head fall onto the stack of tests. _I already feel silly for agreeing to this_ , she thought in response to what Sunggyu said earlier. How am I going to explain this to Yewon? What is ‘this’ anyway? Jinyoung slowly lifted her head back up and glanced towards the door, while cupping her cheeks. “Why do I feel so hot? Am I getting sick?”

* * *

Later that day Jinyoung was truly starting to feel weak, but she knew that she wasn’t getting sick. It was just carrying several pieces of plywood after a long day of standing in front of a classroom, teaching, was draining her. The art club was starting to build set pieces after finishing the backdrops. First on the list of thing to make was the bar and that required a _lot_ of wood, more than Jinyoung could carry. Luckily Daeyeol and Jaesuk were there to help her out towards the end. Sujeong and Jiae even help to carry the tools. And speaking of tools, Jinyoung was afraid to blink while she was watching the students saw and hammer. Of course, they’d done this before for plays earlier. They probably had more experience with a saw than Jinyoung did, but they were still children. And they could get hurt. The anxiety from watching them like a hawk was also draining her.

“Jaehyun! How many times do I have to say measure twice and cut once?” Jinyoung chided him while she picked up two mismatched pieces of wood. Jaehyun just stared at her with his usual blank look, saying that he’d remember next time. Jinyoung sighed. “Why don’t you help Jiae and fill in some of the gaps on the backdrop?”

“Okay,” Jaehyun seemed more excited about that (or as excited as Jinyoung had ever seen him). “That I can do.”

After he left, Jinyoung looked down at the two pieces of wood in her hands, knocking them together. “What am I going to do with these?”

The two pieces of wood left her hands. “I can figure something out, saem.” It was Daeyeol. He took the wood and left, after picking up a few more scraps from off of the ground.

“What are you going to make? Do you have something in mind?” she asked. But Daeyeol just shrugged, being distant again.

“How about a frame?” Sujeong popped up to her side and suggested. Jinyoung turned to face her and the grin on her face was slightly wicked. “Bong seonsaeng-nim has a portrait. We should make one for you too!”

Jinyoung winced, thinking back to that large portrait of the Drama teacher that was still in the supply closet. She opened her eyes back up and saw most of the art students collecting around her, chattering about how’d they paint their History teacher. Even Daeyeol seemed interested in the conversation. And Jinyoung wasn’t too comfortable with how they were looking her up and down. “No,” she denied them any more fun at her expense. “No one is painting me.”

“How about a sculpture then?” Jaesuk joked.

“No! You guys aren’t allowed to make anything that looks like me,” Jinyoung hoped that would put the matter to rest. If it didn’t, she dismissed them anyway. They’d obviously lost their focus and she didn’t want them to handle any tools in this condition. Something dangerous would definitely happen.

* * *

Earlier, before classes ended and much before her students began teasing her, Yewon had texted Jinyoung back. She agreed to the plan and wrote that she was curious to meet them, which gave Jinyoung much relief. She’d been worried about pushing her friend into an uncomfortable situation. There had been times when Yewon grew very anxious in places where there were a lot of men around, so Jinyoung didn’t know how she’d feel about sitting across from two strangers. But Yewon must’ve trusted Jinyoung more than she knew. Jinyoung knew these men (sort of) and it was good enough for her. And Jinyoung was going to do whatever she could not to betray that trust and make sure that Yewon had a good time. Hopefully, afterwards, Yewon would learn how to trust more people than just Jinyoung again.

She was also certain that the both of them would’ve liked more advanced warning, to prepare mentally…and physically. Jinyoung was a mess now, with nothing to improve it. Bare-faced, a nest of hair on her head, and still in her coveralls from art club. At least she could change back into her clothes form earlier that day. But there wasn’t much she could do about anything.

This really wasn’t the first impression that she wanted to make. But she supposed it didn’t matter. Tonight was supposed to be about not hiding anything, right? So a bare-faced, messy Jinyoung would do just fine.

* * *

Before meeting with the men, Jinyoung went to pick up Yewon at her apartment. Much like herself, Yewon was dressed casually, with very minimal make-up on. It was as if it was just any other night of the two of them going out to eat. And that put Jinyoung more at ease, knowing that her friend was acting like herself. Or at least she was at the beginning. The closer that they got at the meet-up place, while Jinyoung was filling her in on the situation (why her and Sunggyu were having this silly argument), Yewon wrapped her arms around Jinyoung’s closely and clung onto her. Jinyoung tried to act like her demeanor hadn’t changed, while she opened up the door to the restaurant.

The men were already there, and Sunggyu waved at them. Jinyoung waved back and gestured at Yewon to them. “That’s them.”

“Oh,” Yewon muttered. “Which one is the teacher? The one who waved?” Jinyoung nodded. “He doesn’t look like he’d be that popular.”

“Right?” Jinyoung agreed with a chuckle. She then dragged her friend to the table. “Hello, Kim seonsaeng-nim. This is my friend, Kang Yewon.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sunggyu greeted them after getting up from his seat. He gestured at them to sit down. Before they could, the man who’d been sitting across from Sunggyu stood up, and he was much taller and broader than Jinyoung had expected. He gave off a kind feel and seemed older than herself. Jinyoung smirked. _This is supposed to be the friend of the most popular guy in high school? Sunggyu is full of it_. While the guy was getting out of his seat and moving to be next to his friend, Sunggyu introduced him, “This is my friend, Lee Palryoung.” He walked by Jinyoung as his name was revealed. She waved. Sunggyu then continued, “This is Hong-saem, the History teacher from my school.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jinyoung replied while she was sliding into her seat. She decided to let Yewon to sit along the edge of the table so that she could leave easily, if things got to overwhelming, which meant Jinyoung was sandwiched between her friend and the wall, sitting across from Sunggyu.

Palryoung sniggered and nudged his friend. “When you said History teacher, I half-expected someone my mom’s age,” he told him. He was obviously pleased with this outcome and not sitting with two middle-aged women. “It’s good to meet the both of you.”

“Why would I ask someone my mom’s age to drink with us?” Sunggyu questioned, shooting the other a glare.

“I don’t know,” Palryoung brushed the man off, so used to his killer glare that he could just easily dismiss it. He then turned towards the girls, addressing them although he acted like he was still talking to Sunggyu, “You’ve done _weirder_ things.”

 _Ah, so Palryoungie was that kind of person_ , Jinyoung concluded with a smirk. The man might’ve looked older than his actual age his whole life, but what he lacked in youthful looks, he made up with wit and delivery. He was probably one of those guys who had people clamor around him for his charm. A class clown that had people laughing with him instead of at him (but maybe he had them laughing at others). _I could have fun with this_. Jinyoung turned towards him, propping her chin in her hands. “Like what?”

“Yah!” Sunggyu snapped. His hand went over his friend’s cheeky smile. “Don’t tell her. This girl has a bigger mouth than you do! She’d probably tell our students,” he dissed Jinyoung unexpectedly, who gasped in response.

But it made Yewon giggle, with her hand covering her growing smile. Jinyoung pouted at her friend. “What? It’s true,” Yewon refused to feel guilty for finding it funny. She wagged her finger at the other. “This is why I don’t tell you some things.”

 _Odd_ , Jinyoung didn’t know how to react because she knew Yewon’s most dark and sensitive secrets right now. And yet Yewon wouldn’t trust her with lesser secrets? _I suppose that’s safe because I did tell_ …her eyes drifted over across the table, up at the man who was staring back at her. It seemed like he found the comment odd too.

Jinyoung dropped her gaze to her hands. “I’m trustworthy,” her voice was hardly strong but it was audibly layered with guilt. She cleared her throat before continuing to talk to Palryoung, “And I promise not to tell the students. Just tell me. Whisper it to me so that Sunggyu can’t hear.” She stood up from her seat and leaned over the table so that her ear was near him.

“No,” Sunggyu denied any conspiring against him as he pushed the two apart and moved his coworker back over to her side of the table. “Let’s just order,” he grumbled before sitting back down.

And so they decided what to eat and drink, while chatting casually. Soon side dishes were placed in front of them, beer too, and then more dishes. Yewon and Palryoung were discussing the most delicious combinations of the food in front of them, and quite passionately too. Jinyoung smiled. Yewon was appearing to have a good time, but she was hardly looking the man in the eye and frequently ended her statements with “I don’t know,” which Jinyoung wasn’t used to hearing. The old Yewon used to speak as if each sentence ended with an exclamation point. She was confident, definitive. And now she spoke as if her words ended with “…”

Jinyoung had been so busy observing her friend that she didn’t notice the man slowly sliding across the table to have a sidebar with her. “Yewon looks nice,” Sunggyu’s words startled her.

“Oh, of course!” Jinyoung stuttered. But then covered her mouth. Secret conversations were supposed to be quiet and not shouted out loud. She lowered her voice and her hand, “How did you expect her to look?”

“Honestly, sadder,” he admitted with an embarrassed smile.

“What's there to be sad about?” Jinyoung questioned him. “She's out with friends.”

Sunggyu glanced over at the other two who were still debating on the ‘right’ way to eat the soup, what to mix into it to heighten the flavor. He seemed perplexed, not by their conversation but just by her. “Well...from what you said…” he mumbled, barely moving his lips.

“I know,” Jinyoung cut him off. He turned his gaze back to her, and she gave him a small smile before continuing, “Actually, she's being shier than she used to be, but you wouldn't know that. She's also anxious.”

He perked up. “Really?”

“She's not eating,” Jinyoung pointed out in a low whisper. That hadn’t escaped her notice, despite Yewon’s words and how her chopsticks moved from dish to dish. They hadn’t moved up to her mouth. _She feels nauseous again_. Jinyoung sighed. _Yewon is trying her best to have a good time, but she still feels anxious_. “But other than that. She's good,” she ended. While Yewon wasn’t perfectly her normal, she was doing just fine. And while Jinyoung worried for her, she was proud that Yewon was getting over her new phobia slowly but surely.

“Eung,” Sunggyu drew her attention back to him with that soft grunt. “I guess you can never really tell what a person’s been through. It doesn't always show.”

“Right,” Jinyoung agreed, feeling the smile widening on her face.

“What are you two talking about?” The two of them snapped their heads towards Palryoung, who asked them the question with a curious grin on his face.

While Jinyoung was at a loss for words (other than the truth), Sunggyu covered for the both of them, “A student we have. Joochan.”

Jinyoung nodded and slapped the table to confirm what he just said. “He’s the Elvis in the musical,” her voice was much louder than normal. Sunggyu winced, and it was well deserved. Jinyoung’s acting was bad.

But it had convinced their friends. “All Shook Up?” Palryoung asked for clarification.

“Yea, how did you know?” Jinyoung replied.

“I went to see it when this kid starred in it,” the man answered while pointing over to his friend. Sunggyu nodded to say it was true.

“You were in a musical?” Yewon asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, for a bit,” he confirmed.

“I know it’s not musicals, per se, but I was trained to sing Classical music,” she tried to make a connection with him. Jinyoung smiled while watching her. She’d forgotten that Yewon was a singer, even though that had played such a large role in her friend’s life. Jinyoung had gone to her fair share of Yewon’s performances. But Yewon wasn’t singing for a living; she had another career, much like someone else Jinyoung knew.

“Really?” Sunggyu engaged the woman and turned towards her, and the both of them began talking about singing, music, and performing. Things that Jinyoung knew nothing about and so she could add nothing to the conversation. And that made her feel weird. Very weird. Too weird. _I should be proud_ , Jinyoung reminded herself, forcing a grin onto her face. _This is more like the Yewon I know_. The smile became more real now, and her gaze drifted down the table to his friend. She hated to admit it, but she was slightly jealous that he’d watched the musical. _I bet he had a good laugh at his friend,_ she snorted at her own thought. _I should ask him about it._ But as soon as she opened her mouth, something clicked in Jinyoung’s mind. This kid probably has seen more than Sunggyu’s musical. They were friends in high school, before Sunggyu moved to Seoul, before Sunggyu became…

“Hey, wait a second. Do you know about…What was that?”

Jinyoung felt it. She was sure she did. There something that tapped against her shin. She leaned down to touch it as her gaze lifted to the man across from her. With that twisted smile, Jinyoung was sure he had something to do with it. _At least he was gentle_ , she thought as she straightened herself back up. _I guess tonight isn’t the night to talk about that stuff._

Right because this night was bout something else, and she had nearly forgotten about it until Sunggyu reminded them: “Tell me about your friend in high school.” He pulled his eyes away from his coworker as he addressed Yewon.

Who was a little taken aback by the abrupt shift in conversation but went with the flow. “Jinyoung? She’s pretty much the same now as she was then,” she replied.

Sunggyu scoffed and his eyes darted back to Jinyoung. “She told me she wasn’t popular,” he was speaking to Yewon but he kept his gaze steady on the other. When he was done, he took a drink. Jinyoung leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. This was what he didn’t believe about her high school career, no matter how much she insisted that she was just a folding screen in high school, present but in the background.

“Well she wasn’t like a queenka or anything but people liked her,” Yewon reiterated what Jinyoung had said before.

“That’s exactly what I told him,” she jumped in to rub it in his face. She placed a hand over her chest. “I was a quiet and shy kid.”

At that, Yewon, who was about to take a drink, sputtered and began coughing. What else came from her mouth sounded very much like laughter, but Jinyoung didn’t want to believe that her friend was laughing at her. Yet Yewon was. It became clearer as the coughing abated. “No, no, no, no. I wouldn’t say that,” she strongly denied.

“What _would_ you say? Tell me,” Sunggyu goaded her.

“Was she wild?” Jinyoung had forgotten that Palryoung was there until he spoke up just then, joining in the teasing. “Ah, was she one of those partying types?”

“No! No! I wasn’t!” Jinyoung defended herself and waved her arms crazily in the air. “I studied most of the time.”

“That’s true, she did. But, Jinyoung...” Yewon paused to face her friend straight on, and when she did, Jinyoung dropped her head. She knew what she was about to say. “…you were more of an instigator. She’d get us into so much trouble!”

“It wasn’t like that!” Jinyoung spoke up.

Yewon nudged her. “That’s a lie, and you know it!”

Jinyoung pouted and looked at the other out of the corner of her eye. “Well, you guys didn’t have to follow me. I didn’t _make_ you do anything,” she defended herself.

“What would she do?” Sunggyu wanted to know some more.

“It was all just stupid stuff,” Yewon answered him. “We’d pull pranks. We filled up a classroom with balloons once, and no one knew it was us...until Jinyoung told them.” She ended by giving her friend a sharp glance, to which Jinyoung raised her hands in the air defensively. She was how she was. She was a good kid, no matter how ‘badly’ she acted out. She was honest to her core.

Sunggyu snorted. “Of course, she did.” But he didn’t look over at Jinyoung like Yewon had. His eyes were still on her friend, enjoying the story. “Did you guys get in trouble for that?”

Jinyoung jumped into the conversation before he could get any ideas, “No, it was near the end of our last year, and our homeroom teacher liked us.” All of their pranks were harmless anyway. They were only in good fun, and fun for everyone.

But maybe that wasn’t completely true. “Yea, that wasn’t when we got into the biggest trouble,” Yewon remarked.

“What was? I don’t remember getting into trouble,” Jinyoung replied with a shaky smile. She didn’t want her coworker to have anything to hang over her head.

“You don’t remember?” Yewon asked, getting worked up and hitting the other lightly with the back of her hand. “There was this one time, we were outside during break, and it had rained the night before…”

“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about that!” Jinyoung cut her off and hid her face behind her hands.

“I can’t!” Yewon exclaimed to the other two guys. Jinyoung couldn’t see it because she was still hiding, but she could feel Yewon wagging her finger at her. She could feel the shame. “She ruined our uniforms! Jinyoung found this mud puddle, put her finger in it, and swiped mud across my cheek. One thing led to another and we were all covered head to toe in mud. Chaeyoung too!”

Jinyoung lowered her hands a bit, but they still covered her cheeks, which were hot to the touch. She faced Yewon and responded, “We had to stay after to clean the mud we tracked in, didn’t we?”

“Eung,” Yewon spoke with a nod. She then folded her arms. “And my uniform was always a weird color after that.” Jinyoung moved one hand from her cheek to her friend’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, while mouthing ‘sorry.’ Yewon let go of her ‘anger’ and laid a hand over her friend’s.

“I knew it.”

Jinyoung’s attention flew across the table. “Knew what?”

“That you weren’t the quiet kid that you said you were,” Sunggyu stated with a smirk.

“She seems like it on the outside, but once you get close to her,” Yewon paused to point a finger at her friend’s face (and for dramatic effect). “She’s trouble.”

Jinyoung gasped, laying a hand over her heart. “I’m not! I’m a good person.”

“She’s a cheater,” Sunggyu said to Yewon, not paying any heed to Jinyoung, who gasped even louder.

“Still?” Yewon was shocked and her eyes bulged. She then tsked and shook her head. “She was _such_ a cheater back then too.” Finally, one of them addressed Jinyoung (although right now she was wishing that they’d forget about her entirely. This was embarrassing),“Yah, you still do that? But you’re so bad at it.” After saying that, Yewon faced the men again, “She’s too honest, so she’s super obvious about it. She’ll look you straight in the eye as she tries to hide a card up her sleeve or something. So she never wins when she cheats,” she explained again. Yewon then nudged Jinyoung roughly, “Why do you even do it?”

“I don’t know,” Jinyoung mumbled while hanging her head. “I lose anyway so it doesn’t really matter. Losers can’t cheat.”

“Exactly!” Yewon exclaimed. “It doesn’t matter, so why do you do it?”

“She must be petty,” Palryoung remarked and then sly took a sip from his beer, knowing how much he was stirring the pot.

“Ah, that’s it,” Sunggyu muttered, sounding disappointed in her.

“No, I’m competitive,” Jinyoung responded, as if being overly competitive was any better than being petty.

Palryoung swallowed a big gulp and then nudged his friend. “They say once a cheater always a cheater. You better watch out for her,” he warned him.

It was a joke. If Jinyoung thought about it for a second, she would’ve realized that. But instead, she didn’t think and went on the defense, immediately, too quickly, nearly cutting the man off with her shout, “I’m a _good_ person!”

Sunggyu’s eyes showed his smile while he was drinking, but once he put the drink down, he turned to Palryoung. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Jinyoung glowered at him. She didn’t need to be monitored. She was no criminal. “Don’t act like any of you never cheated in anything,” she argued as she gestured around the table. Her finger stopped on Palryoung. “I bet you have!”

He shook his head, still with that sly smile on his face. “No, I haven’t. I don’t need to,” he replied calmly.

“He’s a shark,” Sunggyu added soon after. He coughed a bit from drinking too quickly before continuing, “Don’t play against him in anything especially not for money.”

“How about for drinks then?” the other man suggested. “Let’s play a drinking game! Since we’re all trying to get to know each other, how about the five finger game?”

Before the other two could say anything, Jinyoung answered for them all, while rolling up her sleeves. “Sure! And I won’t even cheat this time.”

“I don’t think you can do it,” that came from none other than her good friend.

“YEWON-AH!”

“What? It’s true!”

* * *

Sunggyu started off the game. There was no logic behind it other than he said that he was going to start, so he did. When he did, Jinyoung had to fold, Yewon too. Because of all of the things he could of said, Sunggyu said that the person who grew up furthest away from Seoul to had to fold. It was intentional, of course. So Jinyoung had every intent to attack him right back. She said that everyone who has been in a musical needed to fold. Before he folded his finger, he demanded that Jinyoung should do the same. She technically was a part of a musical now. Jinyoung tried to argue that being a supervisor was different and that she really was in charge of the art club and not the musical. Sunggyu didn’t buy it, neither did his friend. Even Yewon told her to just fold her finger so that they could move on with the game. And then Yewon proceeded to betray her even further: “Fold your finger if you teach!”

“YEWON-AH!”

“What? I don’t want to lose, and you’re almost out,” Yewon reasoned.

At that Jinyoung pouted. _I might have to start cheating now_ , she supposed. But it wasn’t like she could secretly raise a finger back up and act like nothing happened (she wasn’t nearly tipsy enough for that). However, there was a different strategy that she could do. “Palryoung-ah,” Jinyoung whined in a cute voice and shimmied her shoulders. The two men nearly spat out their drinks. “I don’t wanna lose. Can’t we play a little bit longer? Can’t we, Palryoung-ie?”

“Wah,” Sunggyu muttered. He was baffled, or disappointed, or confused. Jinyoung wasn’t quite sure what emotion that was on his face, or it flickered between them. “You’ll really do anything not to lose.”

“You’d do the same too, if you were in my position,” her voice grew quieter as she continued, feeling more ashamed and hot. Her hands went up to her face. Her eyes stuck on Palryoung because he was the only one at the table not judging her. “Did it work?”

“Eung,” he grunted. “I’m not made of stone, unlike this guy.” Palryoung pointed with his elbow over to his friend, and Sunggyu had been too busy stuffing his face with food to talk back. So of course, his friend took this as an opportunity to keep striking when Sunggyu was defenseless. “When we were in high school, a group of girls actually broke out into a fight over him, and he did nothing, absolutely nothing!”

Sunggyu choked down his food so that he could talk. “It…wasn’t…like that,” he managed to get out between strangled coughs. “I wasn’t even there when it happened. And it was only two girls.”

“It was three,” Palyroung corrected him.

“Stop making me look weird,” Sunggyu responded through gritted teeth.

“Ah!” Palryoung gasped as he hit the table. He had an idea and from the look on his face, it wasn’t good for his friend. “Fold if girls have ever gotten into a physical altercation over you. Oh! Why did you fold, Yewon-ssi?” Indeed, Palryoung was a shark and noticed every drop of blood in the water.

“In college,” Yewon started and then bowed her head, trying to hide her blush behind her hair. “A classmate was spreading rumors about me because she thought her ex was interested in me, but he wasn’t…anyway, long story short, my friend confronted her one day and hit her.”

“Was it Jinyoung?” Palryoung asked.

“No!” both of the girls responded in unison.

He shrugged in response. “I had to ask because Sunggyu used to always chase the bad girls around in high school. I was just wondering if he still did,” Palryoung explained.

“No. No!” Sunggyu argued as he choked down the food that he was eating again. “The bad girls liked _me_ ,” he corrected the other. However, it wasn’t much of an improvement because it made Jinyoung roll her eyes at him. She’s heard this before from Sunggyu: _The girls noticed me._ It was always the girls’ fault. Jinyoung’s eyes rolled down and fixed on her drink. _He’s acting like his mere presence made the girls go crazy. Like an idol…Oh my gosh! He was an idol!_ Jinyoung scoffed, as all sorts of emotions crashed against each other. She was starting to realize something, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.

“You don’t believe me.” Oh, that was Sunggyu talking, and he was looking directly at her. He was talking to her!

“Of course, I don’t,” Jinyoung responded.

“Of course?! Why ‘of course’?” Good, he sounded offended, which was what Jinyoung was aiming for, to ruffle up his feathers so that he could be the flustered one instead.

“You were the one who told me to believe what your friend said, so _of course_ I have to believe him over you,” Jinyoung used his own words against him, and because she did, he was having a hard time forming a response against them.

“That’s wise, Jinyoung-ssi,” Palryoung added. “Don’t trust this guy too much. His memory of events is a little...weird.”

“This guy, aish, _this_ guy!” Sunggyu spat, while wagging his finger at his friend. “You’re trying to make _me_ out to be weird!”

“I’m just having fun,” Palryoung replied as he wrapped his arm around his disgruntled buddy in an apologetic half-hug. “It’s your turn by the way.”

“Fine,” Sunggyu grumbled as he slipped away from the other. He glared at him. “Fold if you’re wearing a turtleneck.”

“Hey!” Yewon raised her voice as she tugged at the collar of her own turtleneck. She then slumped in her chair and pouted. She was getting caught in the crossfires of these two, and now she was in danger of losing.

“Oh, sorry, Yewon-ssi,” Sunggyu apologized.

“Here, let me even things out,” Jinyoung offered. She scanned over Palryoung quickly and thought of a new one: “Fold if you’re playing with your left-hand!”

“Jinyoung-ah!” Yewon whined again. Jinyoung whipped her head over and saw Yewon folding yet another finger. Now she only had one left standing.

“Why did you switch hands all of the sudden?” Jinyoung whined too. “I didn’t mean to attack you! I’m sorry!” As she apologized, she leaned into her friend.

“Fold if you’re in town for job-training,” Yewon spoke up. Palryoung, of course, was the only one to fold a finger at that. She then gestured at the other two. “That’s how you attack one person!”

“Oh, you’re going to regret that, Yewon-ssi,” Palryoung replied, baring his teeth with his sly grin.

“How about me? I attacked you too!” Jinyoung offered herself up in her friend’s stead.

“I did too,” Sunggyu did too, sort of. “But attack her first,” he added and pointed at Jinyoung.

“ _Or_ you can get the both of us!” Jinyoung amended, while smiling at Palryoung, trying to tempt him.

But the shark already found his victim: “Or I could finish her off right now. Fold if you’re wearing glasses.” And with that, Yewon’s last finger fell as did her eyes on the tall glass that Palryoung was pouring a mix of drinks into. “Now drink up, Yewon-ssi!” he exhorted as he pushed the glass towards her.

Jinyoung had tried to intercept it, to be her black knight, but Yewon gave her a quick glance as if to say that it was okay. So Jinyoung pulled back and watched her friend carefully. This was all a part of Yewon wanting to be normal again, like she used to be. She wanted to play a silly game and accept her punishment, a punishment that she could’ve easily done a few months ago.

But that was then. This Yewon now had barely ate anything all night and this drink she just chugged down was not settling well with her. After struggling to keep her smile on her face for a few minutes, Yewon finally excused herself to use the bathroom. Jinyoung wanted to follow her, but knew she shouldn’t. Yewon wouldn’t want her to see what she was about to do. And honestly, neither did Jinyoung (or smell it for that matter). If Yewon wasn’t back within a reasonable time, then, and only then, would Jinyoung bang on the bathroom door.

Soon after Yewon left the table, Palryoung did too, to answer a phone call from his girlfriend, which made Jinyoung somewhat sad. He seemed like the type that Yewon would like, funny and easy to talk to. Yewon wasn’t tense around him (or Sunggyu for that matter). But what small hope she had for sparks to fly between old friends died, which was fine, Jinyoung guessed. Tonight wasn’t about setting Yewon up with guys, nor was it about getting her comfortable with guys again. But…why did they gather again? Jinyoung forgot the reason amid the drinks and the frivolity. She even forgot that she’d ordered some extra rice so that they could mix in the remainder of the soups and side dishes into.

Sunggyu hadn’t forgotten about the food though. He’d been waiting for it and excitedly moved into Yewon’s spot where the rice had been put down (his side of the table was covered in empty bottles and such). He began throwing things into it while Jinyoung just sat there.

“Can you hand me that?”

“Oh, this?” Jinyoung asked as she picked up the radish kimchi. He nodded while he took it from her. Jinyoung snapped out of whatever funk she was in and grabbed another dish from the table. “Let’s put some of this in there too.”

“Yea, put that in,” Sunggyu said as he let her have control over the bowl. And together they finished creating this bizarre (but good) mixture of their leftovers and then began eating it while waiting for their friends to return.

Of course, neither of them could stay quiet for long. The both of them liked talking too much (and hated the silence). “So do you believe me now?” Sunggyu asked with his mouth full. “About me in high school?”

Jinyoung snorted. “Fine, you were popular with that old fashioned looking face of yours. I’ll recognize it now,” she teased him and snorted again at the sour look on his face. But then she quickly dropped her gaze and muttered under her breath, “It seemed like you were popular with the ladies too.”

“Of course, if I’m well liked, then I’m well liked by everyone,” he reasoned.

Jinyoung quickly glanced over at him and then returned to her food. “I guess that’s true.”

“But I didn’t date around a lot,” Sunggyu’s voice all the sudden got louder. “My friend made it seem like that. I just like talking, making connections with people…”

“Flirting?” Jinyoung interjected with a tight smile.

“Ah,” Sunggyu’s mouth fell open and that sound slipped out. He then snapped his mouth closed and mimicked her smile. “Maybe that too,” after saying that he began eating again.

Jinyoung watched him out of the corner of her eye. It was worrisome, or at least it was starting to worry her. _It’s the same as when he was in high school_. The flirting, he just likes it. He just likes women and women like him. “What about me?” Jinyoung mumbled. Sunggyu looked over at her, and she held his gaze this time. She gave a small grin. “Do you believe me now?”

“A bit,” he replied. He then pulled away and looked off into the distance, narrowing his eyes as he thought. “Something about how you said you were in high school...it just didn’t sound like you. But what Yewon-ssi said, that’s _totally_ you,” he finished with a laugh.

Jinyoung pouted. “I’m an instigator?”

“Eung.” He didn’t even skip a beat.

Jinyoung wiped her mouth and finally put down her spoon. This needed her full attention. “I’ll have you know that when I was in high school, people always told me that I was a good person. In fact, they thought I was _too_ good,” she argued. And what, did Sunggyu really roll his eyes at her? It didn’t deter her, and she kept going, “A lot of people told me that I’d go crazy in college because I was ‘too good.’ Because I never really rebelled.”

“Did you?” Something about the look on his face told her that he already knew the answer.

“No,” she responded. “I’ve pretty much always been like this. I never really saw the need to rebel.”

“I get it,” he said with a nod, but then he shot her a knowing look. “It’s not like you’re innocent either. You pull a lot of pranks.”

Jinyoung giggled, not out of embarrassment but she felt proud about it instead. “Yea, I guess those are like my small little rebellions. I don’t need to run away from home or go through a party phase,” she explained.

“You just need to fill a room with balloons to relieve your stress,” he elaborated.

Jinyoung gave him a thumbs up. “Exactly!” She smiled brightly at him, but he couldn’t do the same. And her smile fell away while a silence fell upon them for a moment, or two.

“I...ran away from home.”

“What? You did?” Jinyoung blubbered.

Sunggyu was only looking at the bowl in front of him, watching his spoon play with the rice. “Yea, to become a singer,” he revealed eventually. “I ran away from home.”

“Oh,” she muttered in response, watching the spoon swirl around in the bowl. “Your parents didn’t want you to be a singer?” Jinyoung had never really considered that, but then again, they really never talked this deeply about their past before.

“No, they wanted me to be a judge or a professor,” he answered and dropped the spoon into the bowl. He seemed to be done with it, but she wasn’t. She now was playing with her own spoon, scooping food up and plopping it back down into the bowl.

“Oh...I’m sorry,” she muttered in a distracted voice. _I wonder_ …

“What are you thinking about?” Sunggyu broke into her thoughts. She turned towards him. “You have that ‘thinking’ expression on your face again.” He gestured around it vaguely with his finger. “What is it?” he asked again as he dropped his hand.

“Heartthrob…how that all turned out,” Jinyoung answered as she spun in her seat to face him fully. “And your parents now...you guys seem to be on good terms.” Her brows furrowed the harder that she thought about it and the longer her eyes lingered on his face, which was growing stiffer by the second.

“We are. I’m their only son.” He then lowered his eyes to his hands and scoffed. “I’m still theirs even if I’m a failure.”

“You aren’t a failure.”

“Hm?” He snapped his head back up and tucked his lips into his mouth.

“You’re not a failure,” Jinyoung spoke with 100% sincerity. She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Sunggyu freed his lips and his eyes scanned all over, probably trying to read her motives, why she’d just said that. And honestly, Jinyoung didn’t know why she did either. It was just how she felt. She felt like his past was something he should be proud of, Heartthob was something he should be proud of.

But his reaction to her sudden words was just as unexpected. Sunggyu laughed and stamped his foot. Jinyoung cocked an eyebrow in question, and so, still laughing, he reached over and pulled something from the hair framing her face. “I can’t even take you seriously with this in your hair,” he teased her.

“Oh! What is it?” Jinyoung’s voice was small. Now she was genuinely embarrassed. Her ears were probably red now.

“Rice,” Sunggyu announced as he showed it to her. He then snorted again. “Wait, there’s another. Are you trying to plant a rice field in here?” he joked as he reached over again to fish out another grain.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled back as she lowered her head towards him since he was struggling to pull this one out of her hair. “How did it even get in there? Is there more?”

“Let me see,” she heard him mutter under his breath and felt his fingers card through her hair.

“Oh cute!”

The both of them froze, with his hands still on her head and her head lowered. She slowly moved it to see Yewon standing in front of them (in front of her former seat to be more exact). And she was grinning down at them in such a way that made Jinyoung feel uncomfortable (and maybe slightly exposed).

Jinyoung suddenly pulled away and announced, “I’m going to go fix my hair. Excuse me.” She slithered around the other two and headed straight for the door, the entrance. She needed to cool down and to get away.

Back at the table, Yewon was still standing and cocking her head as she watched her friend walk towards the entrance. “Does she know that the bathroom is that way?” she asked no one in particular as she pointed behind her. But she looked down at Sunggyu for the answer.

“I think she does,” he replied back in a distracted voice, as if he was waiting for something. And then there it was. Jinyoung looked back at them, at him, before darting outside. “Excuse me,” he said and followed the woman.

* * *

“What are you doing out here? Smoking?”

“Ah, what?” Jinyoung yelped and jumped slightly. Her hands were up in the air, empty, as she faced her colleague who was walking out of the restaurant to join her. “Are you talking to me?”

“I was kidding,” Sunggyu confessed as he came up to her side and the leaned against the side of the building with an uneasy smile. “I know you’re a _good_ girl.”

“I am!” Jinyoung retorted, loudly. Something about the way he emphasized ‘good’ made it seem like he thought that she was anything but. However, she wasn’t the smoker out of the two of them. She moved towards him. “What about you? Are you here to...”

“No,” Sunggyu cut her off with a cheeky grin. “I quit.”

She stopped in her tracks. “You did?”

He nodded, looking proud. “Yea because someone told me it was going to kill me, and it worried them,” he revealed.

“O-oh,” Jinyoung stammered, not quite sure of how to respond. Should she say ‘congratulations’? ‘Good job’? ‘Was that someone me?’ Perhaps this question was better: “Then why did you come out?”

Sunggyu shifted against the wall as he glanced over her, which made Jinyoung fidget too. However, he cut the growing tension with a shrug. “Just because,” was his answer.

“Liar,” Jinyoung didn’t have to know him since high school to know right now that he wasn’t telling the whole truth. “You didn't quit. You’re lying because I caught you!” she accused him.

“I did quit!” Sunggyu exclaimed back, pulling himself off from the wall. He turned out the pockets of his coat. “See! Not even a lighter!”

“Sure,” Jinyoung sneered with a roll of her eyes. She wasn’t buying it. After all, he’d been smoking for as long as she known him. _He couldn’t quit that easily_. She walked up closer to him with a sly smile on her face, which made him back up onto the wall again. “I bet you have a pack in there,” she said, reaching for the pockets in his pants.

“I don't!” Sunggyu yelped as he batted her hand away (which she expected him to do). She stumbled back and away, giggling. However, Sunggyu wasn’t as jovial as she was. His expression was stern, serious. “Believe me.”

Jinyoung kept giggling until it slowly faded away and her smile dropped slightly. Guilt was starting to overtake her now. She didn’t believe that he could do it. She didn’t believe his words. She didn’t believe him, which was all he wanted. “Why?” Jinyoung asked. “Why do you care if I believe you or not?”

“Because…” he started as he lifted himself off from the wall again and came to stand closely in front of her, “…it matters to me.”

“Why?” she continued to press him and stared up at him, wide-eyed, careful to not miss a flinch on his body, which did happen when she shifted her weight to her other foot.

However, he still answered coolly, “We’re friends, aren’t we? It’d be weird if I didn’t care about your opinion. You care about mine, right?”

“Yea,” Jinyoung replied a bit too quickly, so she pulled her answer back a bit with a teasing smile and this addition: “It depends.”

“Depends on what?” Now it was his turn to press her, and she responded back in a like manner. She just shrugged. Sunggyu scoffed. “You really like to provoke me, don’t you?”

“ _Tease_. I like to tease you,” she corrected him.

He glared down at her while pouting. “You like being mean to me,” he mumbled lowly, trying to evoke her pity, but it didn’t work. She kept laughing and fought back:

“What? Like you don’t tease me too?”

He quickly shook his head, acting like a picture of innocence. “No. I’ve been nothing but nice to you,” he lied right to her face.

“You have,” but he had been right in part and Jinyoung was going to acknowledge that. “You put up with my teasing. That’s nice.” She smiled broadly and lowered her head, looking at their feet. “I’m glad that we got closer through the musical. It’s good to have another friend.”

“Me too,” Sunggyu responded. She raised her head again to see him smiling. “I’m also glad to gain a new friend because that’s what we are, friends. Should we talk casually to each other now, friend?”

Well, while it was about time for them to speak casually to each other, something about the way it happened made Jinyoung uneasy (and laugh uneasily too). How many times had he said ‘friend’? Was he trying to tell her something? Jinyoung tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear, which was warm to the touch. _Does it show?_ Jinyoung lowered her hand and said what she felt like he wanted him to hear, “Okay, Sunggyu. Okay, _friend_.”

And her instinct seemed to be right. His smiled broadened. “Now since you’re my friend, there’s absolutely one thing that you cannot do,” he told her, lifting up a finger for emphasis. “Never ever. If you ever do it, our friendship is over, okay?”

“What is it?” Jinyoung hoped that she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt.

“Never…” Sunggyu paused for dramatic effect, and Jinyoung was certainly affected by it. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to ‘hit’ her with the rest of that statement, “…doubt me. Just believe me, okay?”

Jinyoung’s eyes snapped back open in shock. “Oh, that’s it?”

Sunggyu snorted in response, but voice seemed apprehensive while he asked, “What did _you_ think that I was going to say?”

Jinyoung laughed out of embarrassment. In that brief moment he paused, her mind had run wild with fancies. But since he asked about them, Jinyoung felt obligated to divulge then, “I swore that you were going to say: ‘We can be friends, but don’t fall in love with me.’ Like they do in the dramas, you know?” Her voice quivered a bit because she’d rather not admit these things. She didn’t know how he’d response.

Of course, she knew to expect to be laughed at like he was doing now, but she really would never what he said next: “No, you can fall in love with me, if you want. I wouldn’t mind. Feel free to fall for my charm at any time.” He opened his arms wide. “ _Any_ time”

Jinyoung laugh. She was baffled. “Wow! I don’t even know what to say to that,” she confessed. She then began stepping away from him. “So I’m gonna go now. They’re waiting for us anyway.” Right as Jinyoung turned to walk back inside of the building, she stumbled over the threshold but at least didn’t fall down completely.

Once again, she was being laughed at, but through the loud laughter, Sunggyu managed to ask, “Woah! Are you okay?” He came up to her side.

“See how I didn’t fall for that?” she said as she gestured over the raised threshold. Sunggyu looked down at it and nodded. “I’m not gonna fall for you either.”

Sunggyu scoffed at her, while throwing back his head. “Nice cover,” he remarked as it fell back down.

“Thanks.”

Once they stepped inside, while they were making their way back to their friends (who were idly chatting and finishing the bowl that they’d left behind), Sunggyu asked, “So why did you go outside?”

“Hm, fresh air?” Jinyoung answered while she waved at Yewon, who was staring at them now, along with Palryoung.

“It was fresh, wasn’t it? It’s a cool night,” he added.

“Very cool,” Jinyoung agreed with a nod. It was true, but it hadn’t been enough to cool her down.

 _I am just going to live this hot forever, aren’t I?_ Why was she getting flustered so easily?

* * *

While they were gone, Palryoung had paid for their meal, as a thank you for a fun evening. As it was late, it was time for them to retire for the night, but Jinyoung wasn’t going to go home. Yewon had invited her to spend the night at her place, which Jinyoung had gladly accepted. And the two of them said their goodbyes to the men and walked home with their arms linked.

“That was a _really_ good night,” Yewon remarked with a smile. “The best I had in awhile.”

“Really?” Jinyoung asked and hugged her friend’s arm more tightly to her chest. “That makes me _really_ happy to hear. Really happy.” __

* * *

(Kakao message sent 13 minutes ago) **Sunggyu:** Did you get home all right?

 **Jinyoung:** I did!

 **Jinyoung:** Yewon said she had a good time tonight. Thanks for giving her a good experience, friend.

(7 minutes later) **Sunggyu:** No problem.

 **Sunggyu:** I wasn’t going to give her a bad experience.

 **Jinyoung:** I know. But still…

(sent 2 minutes later) **Jinyoung:** Thank you.

 **Sunggyu** : You’re welcome.

(sent 8 minutes later) **Sunggyu:** Hey

 **Jinyoung:** What?????

 **Sunggyu** : Do you think we would’ve been friends in high school?

 **Jinyoung:** I’m not sure. I didn’t hang out with many guys back then.

 **Sunggyu:** But you hung out with some.

(3 minutes later) **Jinyoung:** I wasn’t bad enough to hang out with you.

 **Sunggyu:** Good girls liked me too.

 **Jinyoung:** I bet the smart girls didn’t.

 **Jinyoung:** They knew better and stayed away.

(18 minutes later) **Jinyoung:** I’m kidding.

 

The following morning Jinyoung woke up to this message:

 **Sunggyu:** You’re not THAT good of a girl, Jinyoung.

And she didn’t respond to that. She just tossed the phone back onto her bed and went to get ready for the day, still feeling all too warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this pic planned out the best out of everything I have going now...so I might keep going with this. 
> 
> I'm also considering adding a Golden Child tag because one member is going to play a bigger role in the next chapter.
> 
> Thank you so much, to anyone who reads this fic! I know that OC fics aren't everyone's thing, but this is what I'm in the mood to write right now. And so thank you thank you THANK YOU, to all of you supporting my selfish desires!
> 
> Have a good night! (Well, it's night for me)


	7. Not-so Snuggly

Days flew by in a blink of an eye. The art club was uncommonly focused and were making good progress with the sets, working later and later into the night. Jinyoung often dismissed them because she wanted to go home, or eat. And eat she did, with Yewon most nights, who seemed to be in a better and better mood every evening. Strangely, she often asked about Sunggyu, but Jinyoung didn’t have more to say. After all, they’ve both been busy. They talk for only…an hour or two or three a day. That wasn’t much for ‘friends’ anyway, isn’t it?

Because Jinyoung felt like she was making progress on various parts of her life (like those tests she finally graded), she was in a very good mood, or in a better good mood than usual. Now Jinyoung was at her desk, unconsciously humming along to the music that she was listening to. It had bothered no one. Dongwoo was bopping along to it and overlaid some of his own sounds with her humming, before he left. All of this, of course, went unnoticed by Jinyoung (she didn’t even notice Dongwoo’s arrival or departure). Her mind was elsewhere right now, as she gazed off into the distance at nothing in her particular.

However, there was someone that broke through her daydreams and brought them crashing down. At first, all she heard was a voice, a loud voice singing. Then there was a figure in the corner of her eye, trying to get her attention. The figure was looking at her. She could feel the heat of a gaze on her.  Jinyoung raised her head and look towards the person.

_What does Hwang want?_

“You’re in a good mood, Hwang seonsaeng-nim,” Jinyoung remarked with a smile as she pulled out her earbuds. “Did you get a raise? Will I get one too?”

The Chinese teacher shook her head, flashing a proud smile. “I just got off the phone with my daughter,” she explained. “Her date seemed to go well last night.” She then let out a severely exaggerated sigh and spun on her heels with her back to Jinyoung as she pretended to look through some files in a cabinet nearby. “Yes, I have a feeling that this could be the one for her.”

Jinyoung quirked her head. It wasn’t like Hwang never bragged before, but it was something about the way the woman kept glancing back at Jinyoung that made her uneasy. Was Hwang Jinyi just bragging or was she bragging at _her_? However, she tried her best to hide it, under lays of too much enthusiasm: “That’s fantastic! Who is the lucky guy?”

Before Jinyi could answer, Sunggyu walked into the room. In response to his arrival, the Chinese teacher pursed her lips and put a finger to them. “I don’t know if it’s in my place to say,” she whispered to Jinyoung. Then the woman did it again, sending one of those obvious glances. But it wasn’t to Jinyoung this time. It was to _him_. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

“But…” the word slipped out of Jinyoung’s mouth which was hanging wide open at the moment out of confusion. Why did Jinyi stop? The Chinese teacher obviously wanted to brag about her daughter’s date. Was the date so much of a secret that Sunggyu couldn’t know about it? Jinyoung looked between the other two in the room. Sunggyu was at his desk already, unwrapping a lollipop (to have in place of a cigarette, Jinyoung knew that now). And Jinyi was watching him with a coy smirk on her face. Then she dragged her eyes from him to Jinyoung and wiggled her eyebrows.

_Wait…No!_

“Sunggyu-goon, did you have a good night last night?” the Chinese teacher sauntered up to him and asked.

Sunggyu startled a little and removed the candy from his mouth. “I did,” he replied. “We had a good conversation.” _We? Who is we?_

“Would you be willing to meet with her again?” Hwang asked, all too sweetly. _Her daughter! The ‘who’ is the Bull’s daughter!_  
Sunggyu nodded carefully before responding, “If she wanted to, of course.”

“Oh, I’m sure she will,” Jinyi quickly replied. She then waved at him, wiggling her fingers. “I’ll see you later.” With that, she left the room.

Jinyoung watched the empty doorway for a few moments, registering everything that had just happened. Also she was too shocked to move or to talk. And too embarrassed to acknowledge the other person in the room. Once the shock passed, the agitation came. She turned off her music and she began tapping her pen. Annoyed, she was really annoyed. This shouldn’t have surprised her. It wasn’t like they didn’t talk, so why didn’t she know about this earlier? Jinyoung _hated_ being left in the dark, every nosy person does.

Well, there was one way for her to return to the light. They could finally talk about this. “Sunggyu” her voice wasn’t as resolved as she was. It cracked. She cleared her throat while Sunggyu spun his seat, towards her. “Did you go out with Hwang’s daughter last night?”

He stood up and walked over to her desk. “We had coffee, yes,” he answered. But unlike with Hwang, he didn’t even bother to take the lollipop out of his mouth. He hung over the top of her desk. So casual, so friendly. “We just talked.”

“Is that how all of those meetings go?” Jinyoung responded in a low mutter, and she lowered her head. It was like that too, with his last girlfriend. They had been set up too, arranged with the hopes of marriage (or at least their parents did). They went to a café and talked. They went frequently, until they felt like having more than coffee with each other. They wanted dinner, and then after that a relationship. Of course, they’d been broken up for a long time now, which meant he was all too free to have coffee again with some other girl and do it all over again.

And he already agreed to see Hwang’s daughter again.

“Jinyoung? Friend?”

“Hm?” Jinyoung hummed as she raised her head back up, with a strained smile plastered across her face.

Sunggyu’s own smile faltered. “That smile scares me,” he admitted with an anxious chuckle.

“I can’t help how I smile,” she grumbled, letting her face fall like it wanted to. She then got up and gathered her things. “I need to go to class.”

“Oh…Have a good class!” he called after her, but she didn’t respond.

* * *

“Wow! This is all really coming together,” Jinyoung praised with a clap of her hands. Slowly, she was regaining her spirits, thanks to the art club. They were making her laugh and filling her up with pride. They could honestly finish with the sets ahead of schedule at this rate, if nothing unexpected happened.

“Do you really think so?” Jiae asked as she scanned the sets with a concerned expression. “We have _so_ much left to do.” Jinyoung was surprised to see so many of her students nodding along to what Jiae said in agreement. And every single one of them looked just as worried.

“But you all have done so much already! Look!” Jinyoung tried to bring a smile to their faces while waving at the backdrops. But they just kept nodding with slight frowns on their faces. It was obvious that they were thinking about what was left for them to do. So Jinyoung thought that it would be best to distract them from the entire set and concentrate on one part then. “The shelf for the bar is done and fixed on the backdrop.”

“Yes, but…” Sujeong started. She then pointed at the end of the shelf. “That’s crooked.”

Jinyoung blinked at the shelf and then back at them. “Oh, is it?” She was dumbfounded. It looked straight to her.

“Hyong-saem, do you need glasses?” Jaeseok teased her.

“I’m already wearing contacts,” Jinyoung muttered under her breath as she blinked a few more times and then opened her eyes widely. No, it still looked straight even after doing that. She then heard sniggers coming from her side, and when she looked over, Daeyeol was covering his mouth, a smile hiding behind his hand. Jinyoung frowned at him. Gloomy and distant Daeyeol was the last person that Jinyoung thought would gain up on her with the rest of the students. But before Jinyoung could respond to the teasing, a new student popped into the auditorium. It was Jiyeon.

“Oh? Jiyeon-ah, what are you doing here?” Jinyoung asked as she walked over to the edge of the stage and as the student skipped up towards her.

“Kim-saem said he needed your help,” Jiyeon remarked and pointed vaguely behind her.

The teacher stopped and tilted her head in question. “With what?” Now, to her, it didn’t seem like he needed her at all.

“Reactions.” Except she could understand that he could use her “help” with that. _I’m in no mood to be teased by him again_ , she thought as she felt the corners of her mouth grow heavy.

“Again?” she asked with a slight whine, as if she hope Jiyeon would leave her be.

But she knew that couldn’t be the case. Jiyeon pursued, “Yes, what we’re practicing now requires two people.” The student giggled as she showed her teacher two fingers. However, Jinyoung’s blasé reaction wasn’t what she expected, so Jiyeon lowered her hand. She looked more anxious as she continued, “So we need you. He said no one’s reactions are as natural as yours.”

“Oh okay,” Jinyoung tried to sound more enthusiastic about it, but her smile felt heavy. So she turned her back on Jiyeon as she addressed the art club: “Everyone, just paint, okay? No touching the tools while I’m gone. Got it?”

“Yes, saem!” they all chirped back, dropping their tools and picking up paintbrushes instead. Well, some of them. Jaeseok and Jaehyun just continued chatting and doing no work. But at least talking was safe, so Jinyoung didn’t care.

However, she did care about what she was about to do. She cared a lot. She didn’t want to go.

“Oh, you came,” and it didn’t sound like Sunggyu wanted her to be there either. Or at least he was genuinely surprised by her arrival into the practice room. Surprised and stressed, Sunggyu looked like he didn’t want to be there either.

But here they both were, and Jinyoung was now at his side. “Of course, I did,” she said, not even glancing over at him but her eyes were on Jiyeon, who took a seat in at a chair by the door, sitting far apart from everyone else. The rest of the students were with Chilgoo and Dongwoo at the other end of the practice room, going over the dances and what facial expressions that they should have. With Jiyeon apart, sitting patiently in the chair, it was obvious that she’d been singled out. And the poor girl looked just as stressed as her two teachers. Jinyoung sighed. “It’s my job to help out with the kids.”

“It is, but…” Sunggyu’s voice drifted off. Jinyoung hazarded a glance at him, wondering if he was ever going to finish his sentence. He didn’t. He just stared at the script in his hand.

“So what did you need my help with?” she prompted him. “What kind of reactions?”

“Reactions?” Sunggyu snapped his head up, screwing his face in confusion. He faced the other. “Jiyeon didn’t tell you?” Jinyoung shook her head. The student had only said ‘reactions,’ nothing more. But before he’d said it, Jinyoung knew that she had gotten in over her head.

“Stage-kissing,” Sunggyu revealed in a low voice, as if the word were taboo.

“What?!” and it didn’t help that Jinyoung reacted as if he sworn in front of everyone. She didn’t realize that her hands had flown up to her face to cover her gaping mouth, until Sunggyu pulled them down.

He then returned both of his hands to the crumpled script and shook it at her. “In this scene, Elvis teaches Boy-Natalie how to pick up girls, and, well, it works. Boy-Natalie is moved and she kisses Elvis,” he laid out the scene. “Don’t you remember? It’s in the script. Here!” he finally raised his voice above a whisper and pointed to the page.

“Oh...right…” feel from Jinyoung’s lips as she read the scene for what felt like the first time now. “I remember that scene.”

Sunggyu suddenly leaned in, causing her to flinch. He recoiled a bit too, but he still remained close so that he could whisper, “They’re _really_ nervous about it, so I thought if I could act out the scene first, if I could show that it isn’t a big deal, that it’s just acting, maybe they’ll feel less subconscious. As it is now…Joochan won’t even look at Jiyeon.” _Joochan?_ Jinyoung looked over at the group of kids with Chilgoo and Dongwoo (who were now going over lines), but he wasn’t there. _Where is he?_ Her eyes then flickered over to Jiyeon, who was still sitting in the chair. But out of the corner of her vision, Jinyoung finally caught sight of a tuft of hair. Sitting on the ground, with his back turned to Jiyeon, was Joochan, who was watching his friends practice their dances, probably wishing to join them. “I didn’t know who else to ask, and Bong seonsaeng-nim told me to handle it. He always makes me do the awkward things,” Sunggyu grumbled under his breath.

“Oh...okay,” Jinyoung muttered. Now her eyes returned to him “I guess I can he-help..” After stammering through that, she tried to clear her tight throat.

“Great,” he spoke normally again. He handed the crumpled script over to her. “Here. You’ll be Natalie, of course,” he announced. Jinyoung looked down at the script and then back up at him, still not accepting it from him. This was starting to feel too real to her. While she was thinking of a way to escape, Sunggyu took one of her hands and placed the script in it, making her hold it, and then he turned to the leads. “Let’s all go somewhere a bit more private.” With that, he went out of the room, gesturing for the rest to follow.

“Thank god!” Joochan muttered below his breath as he scrambled off of the floor and scurried off to follow his teacher. Jiyeon, on the other hand, lingered in her seat until Jinyoung moved towards the door.

“How are you feeling?” Jinyoung asked while the student got up.

“Okay,” Jiyeon answered, and the worry on her face began to give way to a smile. “Thank you for helping, Hong-saem. This is…” Jiyeon’s voice dropped off as they walked out of the door and caught sight of the backs of their ‘costars.’

“Awkward?” Jinyoung continued for her in a low voice.

“So awkward!” Jiyeon repeated, more loudly. But it didn’t matter. The boys were talking to each other too, paying them no heed. And Jiyeon was smiling more broadly now. “I’ve never kissed before…on stage! I never stage-kissed before,” and then the smile faltered as she stumbled through that, correcting herself halfway through.

 _No wonder why she’s so nervous_ , Jinyoung thought. _Well, this situation would only get worse if we’re both nervous_. She then sighed and pulled a smile across her face. She leaned in and whispered to her, “I haven’t either. But…it’s nothing to worry about.” She pulled away once they entered the room, where the two boys were waiting for them. Her eyes met with the older one, and she sighed again. “It’s all just an act.” She then looked over at Jiyeon with a small, hopefully encouraging smile. “We’re all professionals here.”

“Are you ready?” Sunggyu asked.

Jinyoung shrugged. “Sure, why not?” which made Sunggyu frown for some reason, but Jinyoung couldn’t dwell on it for that long because he turned around to turn on the stereo and play the song from the scene: “A Little Less Conversation.”

While Sunggyu was guiding Joochan and Jiyeon through the scenario and the choreography, Jinyoung wasn’t paying attention. No, she was focused on the lyrics of the song:

_A little less conversation, a little more action please_

_All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me_

_A little more bite and a little less bark_

_A little less fight and a little more spark_

_Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me_

_Satisfy me baby…_

“Hong seonsaeng-nim.”

“Eh?” Jinyoung grunted. Her mouth felt dry as she blinked her eyes a few times and then focused on the trio in front of her.

Sunggyu spoke to Joochan, “This is when you walk up to her, while she’s singing her part.” And he began walking towards Jinyoung, with that coy smile like he knew what he was doing (and he probably did).

“I’m not singing.”

That small outburst from Jinyoung made him stop and laugh. “Of course, you aren’t. Jiyeon is.” And he continued walking, even though there wasn’t much to go. There wasn’t much space between them, but he kept coming closer.

The line “Satisfy me” kept blaring in the speakers, and Jinyoung tried her best to block it out. But she couldn’t do it.

_He likes flirting. He likes women. I’m just…_

Then the singing stopped. “And now when she’s done singing, this would be the moment when Natalie kisses Elvis,” Sunggyu announced to the students but his eyes were on his Natalie, who promptly shook her head. Jinyoung didn’t want to do this anymore. Screw being ‘brave’ for Jiyeon! This was awkward as hell! And she wasn’t a professional! She was worse than an amateur. She was a History teacher, and she had no place trying to teach people how to act, when she was struggling to hide her own feelings.

But Sunggyu must’ve thought she was teasing him because he chuckled and goaded her: “Come on. Just use your hand.” Jinyoung shook her head again, slightly so this time. Sadly, Sunggyu took that as a sign to mean ‘I don’t know how’ rather than ‘I don’t want to,” and he changed gears. “I’ll be Natalie now. You,” he pointed at her, while stepping back a few steps. “You, Elvis, come up to me and…” And for some reason, Jinyoung did step closer (probably because walking was the only thing she felt confident in at this moment). “Once Elvis is this close, you’ll want to do this. Watch.”

And that’s when he did it. That’s when Sunggyu took Jinyoung’s face into his hands, quickly and roughly dragging his one hand to cover her mouth fully, and pecked the back of his hand. It ended almost as soon as it happened. Sunggyu already was a few steps away from her. Also it wasn’t what Jinyoung expected it to be like. No, instead, it was a bit painful. Jinyoung’s eyes were on the floor while she was stretching out her mouth, which was swore after being smooshed into her face.

“See, you’re just kissing your hand. It’s no big deal,” Sunggyu announced to the students, who still looked incredibly anxious. So he thought it was a good idea to demonstrate it again, but more slowly. “Like this.” He pulled away again, but his hand was still pressed hard against Jinyoung’s mouth. “There are other ways that you could position your hands. Like this or like this.” He demonstrated all of the options, moving his hands all over Jinyoung’s face. And she could do nothing more but to sigh in defeat. _This is my life now_ , she thought as the other kept bringing his face closer and pulling it away _. What did I do to deserve this? It’s because I stole too many lollipops, isn’t it? And now I have to suffer eternally like Tantalus._

“Seems real, doesn’t it? But it’s all fake,” Sunggyu told the students when he finally let go of Jinyoung’s poor face. He glanced over at her, which was when Jinyoung noticed that she had been glaring at him, intensely. “It’ll seem more real if your partner doesn’t look so disgusted by it.”

Joochan and Jiyeon laughed at that. It was the first time that either of them had laughed since they entered the room. And it was also the first time that Joochan had looked at Jiyeon when he didn’t have too. The awkward tension between the students was lifting. Jinyoung laughed too, hoping that it’d melt away the tension that she was feeling herself. But it didn’t. Her laughter was stilted, and she awkwardly stepped away from the other teacher.

He continued lecturing them, “There’s a few other ways you can do it too. Choose whatever one that you’re most comfortable with.”

Then the tension returned, and the two students snapped their heads towards Sunggyu again. “What are the other choices?” Joochan asked

“Well…” Sunggyu raised his head higher as he thought. “We could block it somehow, cover both of your faces, so we can see you only lean in for the kiss. That might be best. There’d be less…contact between the both of you,” he tried to word the last part carefully, but it didn’t come out quite to his satisfaction so he chuckled a bit.

Jinyoung, on the other hand, was frowning. “Why didn’t you start with that one?” she grumbled lowly. She would’ve liked very much to not have her face be groped like it had been. The feeling of his hands on her face still lingered.

“That was how I always did it!” Sunggyu defended himself, loudly, and his voice only got louder after Jinyoung began retching: “What? What are you doing?”

“My mouth tastes like your hand,” she whined and retched again. It felt good to do that. It felt like she was erasing the feeling of those horrible hands with every contortion of her mouth. So she did it again and again. Joochan and Jiyeon were laughing again.

“Yah, Hong Jin—”

“HYONG! HYONG-SAEM!” a shout from the hall cut him off. The room fell silent as Jaesuk skidded into the room, panting. “I’ve…been…looking…everywhere,” he said between wheezes. He bent over, trying to catch his breath. “You weren’t…with the others.” He stood up straight again (which looked like it pained him) and pointed behind him. “I went…and…”

“Jaesuk, what is it?” Jinyoung interrupted him, hoping he’d get to the point more quickly. And he did.

“Daeyeol. He hurt himself. Bad. It’s _really_ bad.”

* * *

“We’re almost there.”

“Okay,” Jinyoung responded. She didn’t even spare a glance at the driver because her eyes were on the boy still next to her, who was trying his best to suck back the tears into his eyes with every sniffle. But who could blame him for crying? He must’ve been in so much pain. Jinyoung looked down at their hands. She’d been applying pressure to his wound, trying to stop it from bleeding, as soon as she managed to wrap a cloth around it. And now that cloth was red and soaked. “Can you hold on a bit more?” she asked, looking back up at him. And Daeyeol nodded in return. She smiled and squeezed his hand. “You’re doing great. Just a little more.”

When Jinyoung had entered the auditorium just 20 minutes ago, she felt as if she stumbled into a crime scene. There were droplets of blood from the bar near the edge of the stage to where Daeyeol now was, coiled up tightly in the middle of the stage, wailing in pain. The rest of the students looked on, pale and helpless, except for Sujeong who had rushed off to find the first aid kit and now was rushing towards the stage. Jinyoung took over from there and asked what happened as she opened up the kit.

Daeyeol had ignored her orders and kept working on the bar. Apparently, Jaehyun had ‘accidentally’ fallen into the backdrop (he was pushed by Jibeom), and everyone was laughing at how he’d been covered in paint. While Daeyeol looked over, he was distracted and hammered a nail through his hand.

After learning all of this, Sunggyu interjected and said that he’d drive them all to the hospital, which he was now doing. And now they finally arrived at the hospital. Sunggyu took it upon himself to admit Daeyeol, but it was only then when he realized that he and Jinyoung had overlooked something: “Daeyeol, I can’t believe we’re only asking this now, but who is your emergency contact.”

“My older brother, Sungyeol,” he muttered.

“Do you mind if we call him?” Jinyoung asked as she was pulling out her own phone. Daeyeol nodded and told her his brother’s phone number. Jinyoung dialed in the phone number and quickly put it to her ear, silently praying that Dayeol’s brother would pick up a call from a stranger. She looked up, searching for Sunggyu, but he was back at the desk, finishing up the paperwork. So it was just her, Daeyeol, and the incessant ringing on the other end. When it seemed like his brother wouldn’t pick up, he did. “Hello, Lee Sungyeol-ssi?” Jinyoung spat out.

“Yes?”

“This is Hong Jinyoung. I’m Daeyeol’s teacher. I’m with your brother, right now, at the hospital,” she stammered over the last bit and winced while she was waiting for…

“What?!” that shout that came from the other end of the line.  
“He’s fine, mostly.” Jinyoung replied. She didn’t want to diminish the situation, but she knew Daeyeol would get through this alive, most likely. In spite of her doubts, she tried to keep calm as she told his brother: “He’s been admitted for driving a nail through his hand.”

“Why would he do that?” the brother (Jinyoung had forgotten his name already) sounded more confused now than anything.

“He’s a part of the art club. He’s helping to make the sets for the school musical, and I was supposed to be…” Jinyoung tried to explain, but she got interrupted.

“He’s not in the art club. He’s not in _any_ club,” the brother interjected. “Aish. Daeyeol…This makes no sense. I’m on my way.” With that, he hung up the phone and Jinyoung wasn’t really ready for it. She jumped when she heard the dial tone. _How much trouble am I in?_ she asked herself.

“Saem,” Daeyeol called to her, and when she turned to face him, he looked worried.

Jinyoung smiled and continued to put pressure on his hand. “Your brother is on his way.”

“Okay,” he mumbled under his breath, with his eyes downcast on his injured hand.

Jinyoung looked down too. The bandage was getting more soaked. She could feel the wetness on her fingertips. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Okay,” he murmured, followed by a sniffle. Jinyoung kept her eyes on his hand. He didn’t need her to see him cry.

“When did King Sejong reign?”

“What?” she felt Daeyeol jolt as he asked.  
Jinyoung looked up and smiled at him. “I’m quizzing you to distract you from the pain. So when did he?” she asked again.

Daeyeol responded with a nervous smile, “I don’t know.”

“You need to study more!” Jinyoung teased him. “What do you do after school?” she tried to sneakily approach the subject. If he wasn’t supposed to be a part of art club, then what was he supposed to be doing. She didn’t expect the answer that she got”

“Other than art club? I train.”

“Train? For what?” she pressed.

“To be an idol. What else?” Daeyeol brushed it off as if it were something ordinary, and for their school, Jinyoung guessed that it was. There were a handful of trainees or trainee-hopefuls in every class, but…

“Huh? You’re an idol trainee?” she never expected Daeyeol to be one. He was so quiet and distant (of course she only taught him history, so she couldn’t say much about his talent).

“Yes,” Daeyeol mumbled, and he had apparently noticed the surprise in her voice. “Is it really that unbelievable? Do I not seem like idol material?”

“No, it’s just that…” Jinyoung paused so that she could phrase this correctly. “I can’t understand how you’ve been helping us with the sets. Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, at your company?”

“I…I want to make memories,” Daeyeol stammered through that admission, and Jinyoung couldn’t help but to let out a sad sigh in response. She could understand. Daeyeol was exchanging his youth, his high school experience, for his dream. But mostly, the kids would think it was well worth it at the time. Daeyeol on the other hand…what’s going on in his mind?

Jinyoung was about to pry more, but she was interrupted by the hospital staff, who was ready to take care of the boy, “Lee Daeyeol-ssi?”

“Yes!”  
Daeyeol was taken out of the lobby. Jinyoung followed him as his temporary guardian until his brother arrived. Who came much sooner than she expected, nearly as soon as they were about to be seen by the doctor.

“Daeyeol? Daeyeol!” A voice echoed throughout the hallway before a man came stumbling into the room. His eyes immediately fell on his little brother. “Are you okay?”

But Jinyoung couldn’t take her eyes off of the newcomer. _The Man Upstairs? What is he doing here?_ “Oh? Oh! Of course, you’re his brother! I see it now!” she exclaimed as soon as the realization hit her. How did she not see this before? They looked so similarly, not to mention they had almost the same name. But they had occupied two different parts of her life, so she had never suspected it.

“Huh? Who? What are you doing here?” Sungyeol stuttered as soon as he realized that Jinyoung was in the room and who she was. “Ah! When you told me that you taught at an arts school, I didn’t think it’d be his school!” he shouted right back at her, pointing to his brother. The hospital attendants all around them shushed him. Sungyeol winced and lowered his voice as he approached the two, “Thank you for taking care of my brother.”

“Hyung, you know Hong seonsaeng-nim?” Daeyeol spoke up.  
Sungyeol nodded and answered, “She’s my neighbor. She’s watched Aga before.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Jinyoung replied. She got up from her seat by the student. It was Sungyeol’s now. “Well, since you’re here and appear to have this handled, I’m going to go,” she tried to excuse herself.

“Hold on,” but Sungyeol wouldn’t let her go just yet. Jinyoung stopped in her tracks and turned towards him. Her heart stopped and she felt her face growing hot. “I want to talk to you. Wait for me outside in the lobby.” And it only got worse after he said that.

“Okay, Sungyeol-ssi,” she responded with a forced smile, but her shaky voice might’ve given herself away, given her nerves away. _I’m in trouble. I’m in so much trouble_. Those thoughts kept running through her head.

While she was preoccupied with those thoughts, she nearly walked past Sunggyu in the hallway, whom she had forgotten about. “Hm? Where you going?” he got her attention with that. Jinyoung jolted, physically, out of her thoughts and put her hand over her heart. She stopped to lean against the wall, while she stared at him. Sure her reaction was exaggerated, but it probably didn’t warrant that snicker coming from him. He had something else other than a smile with him: three drinks in his hand. _Are those for us?_ Jinyoung peeled herself away from the wall.

“The lobby,” she answered as she began walking in that direction. Sunggyu followed her. “Daeyeol’s brother is here. And he wants to talk with me. In the lobby,” she explained further and those thoughts began flooding back into her mind. “So I’m going there.”

“Why?” he asked. The laughter had left his voice.

“Because his little brother lost his hand under my watch, or something like that,” Jinyoung guessed. She made her way to a chair and sat down with a loud groan. “I _really_ messed up. So badly.” She put her head in her hands. _I’m in so much trouble._

She then felt something cool against her skin, which caused her to raise her head. Sunggyu had sat down next to and pressed one of the drinks to her skin. “Here,” he offered it to her. Jinyoung took it and just held onto it. “Daeyeol isn’t going to lose his hand,” he tried to alleviate her worries.

“Maybe not but…” Jinyoung was still anxious about more than just Sungyeol reprimanding her. “He’s an idol trainee, did you know that?”

“Actually, no, I did not,” Sunggyu responded as he shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. “Really?”

Jinyoung nodded. “How can he be an idol without a hand?”

“Jinyoung,” Sunggyu said her name as if he was calling out one of his students. She turned to face him. “He’s not going to lose his hand.”

“He still got hurt when I was supposed to watch him,” she argued back. “I could’ve…”

“What? Stopped him?” Sunggyu interrupted her with that point. Jinyoung snapped her mouth shut. That was true. Even if she was there, would Daeyeol still have gotten injured? Most likely, yes. There are some things that you just can’t stop. Mistakes will happen whether you’re cognizant of them or not.

Sunggyu then took the drink from her hand, opened it for her, handed it back, and gestured at her to drink, which she did. And Sunggyu opened up a drink of his own. They silently sat like that for a few seconds. However, not even the cider could wash away the nerves still gnawing at her.

“It’s what his family is going to think. The family is going to think that it wouldn’t have happened if I was there,” Jinyoung spilled out her thoughts to him. She looked over at him. “Why else would Sungyeol-ssi ask to talk to me?” Sunggyu shrugged and just drank. “He looked mad, and he’s definitely never going to let me look after Aga again!”

“Aga?” Sunggyu repeated and nearly choked on his drink. “I thought you said that they were brothers.”

“Aga is his dog,” Jinyoung explained.  
“I’m so confused,” the other responded with a slight whine and shook his head, trying to settle things and rid himself of tiredness. “Have you met Daeyeol’s brother before?”

“We’re neighbors,” she answered and took another sip.

“And you’ve watched his dog,” Sunggyu reiterated what she just said and leaned back in his chair. “Are you two, I don’t know, close? You sound close to me.”

“Hm,” Jinyoung hummed as she studied him. _Why does he care? He sounds like he cares. Or is he just being nosy?_

“Jinyoung-ssi?”

That was Sungyeol, who finally came out into the lobby, and from the moment she heard his voice, she sprung from her seat. “I’m coming!” she called out to him. She turned towards her friend.

“Is that Daeyeol’s brother? He’s tall. Why is he so tall?” Sunggyu asked as he looked back and forth between the both of them.

“Can you hold this for me? Thanks,” she didn’t really ‘ask’ him but shoved the drink into his hand, but he still took it and looked at her for an answer to his questions. But she didn’t give any. That wasn’t what was important now. She spun around and scurried off towards Sungyeol. “Sungyeol-ssi, I’m so sorry,” she blurted out the apology as soon as she was close enough.

Sungyeol waved his hand, batting away her worries. “It’s Daeyeol’s own fault. He told me everything. You told him to stop, but he continued working so that you’d praise him when you came back,” he revealed.

“Huh?”

“My little brother likes you,” Sungyeol added with a cheeky smile.

“What?!” No, she couldn’t be hearing things correctly.

“He’s told me a teacher he had that was pretty, and it was _pretty_ obvious that he had a _big_ crush on her,” he teased his brother in his absence. He then gestured towards his neighbor. “As it would turn out, that person is you.”

Jinyoung pointed at herself too. “It’s me?”

Sungyeol nodded. “And if I know my brother, he stopped going to the company and joined the art club once he knew his _favorite_ teacher was in charge,” he guessed as he moved back and forth on his heels.

Jinyoung, on the other hand, shook her head furiously. “No, I’m sure he didn’t,” she argued. She wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t _that_ pretty.

“Well, not entirely,” Sungyeol acknowledged that. “He confessed to me recently that he’s thinking of quitting the trainee life.”

“What?!” Jinyoung didn’t like that excuse even more.  
“He’s spent two years at the company already, and it doesn’t seem like they’re going to debut a group any time soon,” Sungyeol explained, while he rocked back and forth more quickly now. He was getting more and more agitated. “Trainees older than him are leaving because they don’t think they stand a chance because they keep recruiting younger and younger trainees. And, I get it, I honestly do, but…” He stopped both his words and his rocking. He studied Jinyoung for a second. “I don’t think he should give up just yet. He needs to suffer a bit more, but I’m sure things would work out.” He leaned in more closely. “Do you think you could help with that?”

“Me?”

Sungyeol nodded. “Maybe he had a few words of encouragement from his favorite teacher, he’d go back,” he reasoned.

Jinyoung averted her gaze. “Well, I don’t know how useful he’d be to the art club with that hand,” she remarked.

“Exactly!” Sungyeol exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. “Just tell him that and maybe, I don’t know, that you’re crazy about idols or some lie like that. And he’d go back for sure.”

Jinyoung began growing hot and let out a nervous giggle. “Yeah, a lie,” she muttered under her breath. _Teachers aren’t supposed to be idol fans_ , she reminded herself. _Teachers of idols definitely shouldn’t be_. She cleared her throat and promised, “I’ll do my best.” That she could at least say with a steady voice because it was true.

“Thank you,” Sungyeol replied. He then gestured down the hallway. “Once the doctor is done, I’ll take Daeyeol home, so you can leave now. Thank you for bringing him in and holding his hand.”

Jinyoung gasped and covered her mouth in shock. “He told you that?” she muttered through her hands.

“He _bragged_ about it, that kid,” Sungyeol revealed with a snigger. “I should go back to him, but I’ll see you around the apartment. Thanks again!” he bid her farewell as he began walking down the hallway.

“Yes, I’m sure I’ll see you later,” Jinyoung said as she waved back at him. She then spun around to begin walking back to her seat. When she did, he noticed that a certain man turned his head, as if to pretend that he hadn’t been watching her talk with Daeyeol’s brother (probably eavesdrop too). Being as nosy as she was, Jinyoung didn’t mind. There wasn’t anything much to that conversation, other than finding out that a student had a crush on her and lying about her fangirl-self. The worse Sunggyu could do was tease her, and she already was all too used to that.

She sighed and began making her way back to her seat. As she walked, Sunggyu’s head turned back towards her, watching her. Before she sat back down, he offered her back her drink and she took it. And now, she was watching him as she sat down. It was something about the look in his eyes right now (or all over her face). There was something familiar about it.

All of the sudden, Jinyoung was reminded of what had happened earlier that day, in the practice room. And she snapped forward, with the drink to her lips, trying to erase that feeling again.

“You’re going to see him later?”

“Hm?” Jinyoung hummed, shooting a short glance over at him. She then nodded slowly. “We live in the same building, so it’s likely,” she answered with the drink still to her lips.

“That’s right,” he murmured under his breath. “But…why were you guys laughing?”

“I was laughing?” Jinyoung hadn’t even noticed that she did. Sunggyu nodded, to which she shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing was funny.”

“Really?” he challenged, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Eung.” And she stared at him just the same. _Why doesn’t he believe me?_

Sunggyu laughed and released his glare. “Does Daeyeol still have a hand?” he asked. Jinyoung groaned and finally let the drink down from her lips as she folded over. He laughed even more. “I’m sure he does! Don’t worry about it,” he said and gave her a few hearty pats on the back, which only made her double over more, so he eventually stopped and pulled his hand back. “So can we leave now?”

“Yes,” Jinyoung replied as she snapped back up. “Sungyeol-ssi has it taken care of.”

“Okay,” Sunggyu spoke with a groan as he stood back up. He then gazed down at her.  “Do you want a ride home?”

“You don’t have to. I’m sure that there’s a bus that I can catch around here,” Jinyoung responded as she looked around, like the bus stop was inside of the lobby with them.

“I’m sure too but…” Sunggyu paused until Jinyoung’s eyes were back on him. “Can I take you home? It’s not out of my way.”

“I guess, you _could_ ,” Jinyoung retorted with a cheeky smile. And Sunggyu was not amused, not at all. Jinyoung dropped her smile. “Please take me home. That would be really nice.”

“Okay.”

* * *

“You’re awfully quiet. I don’t like it.”

Jinyoung looked over at the man next to her. He wasn’t lying or exaggerating. Jinyoung’s lips were pursed shut ever since they got into the car. Her hands were in her lap, and her eyes had been gazing out of the window. But now she was silently watching the other drive. “What are you thinking about? Daeyeol?” he asked with a quick glance over at her.

Jinyoung nodded, even though she knew his eyes were on the road. “I shouldn’t have left them alone,” she muttered. Although she was well aware that things might’ve ended up the same way that they did, she was racked with guilt. While Daeyeol was rolling around in pain, Jinyoung was fooling around. _With you._ Her eyes remained on him. _I shouldn’t have done that._

“And I shouldn’t have asked for your help,” at least he took some of the blame too. That made her feel a little bit better, also because he didn’t make her feel silly for feeling guilty. But he still wanted to try to alleviate it, “I don’t think you’ll get in trouble for this. It was a freak accident, and Daeyeol still has his thumb.” Jinyoung nodded along to every word he was saying, as she did her head felt heavier and heavier and heavier. Now it was hanging, and she let out a loud sigh. “Jinyoung, everything will be fine. Besides, Daeyeol likes you.”

She whined as she threw her head back onto the headrest. “Does everyone know that except me?” she asked, rolling her head over to look at him.

“Yes,” Sunggyu chirped. He then chuckled at her reaction, which was whining again and rolling her head the other way. “You’re pretty oblivious to people who like you.”

Another heavy sigh slipped through her lips, but this time, she kept her eyes on the window. “Well, I don’t want to assume,” she mumbled quietly. “And I don’t want to get hurt.”

“Why would you get hurt?” he replied with a question. She still was watching things pass them by out the window and answered him with just a shrug. Jinyoung didn’t have time to wonder if he’d seen that because he sighed too.

“I think…” Jinyoung drawled as she slowly turned her head back towards him. And he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “I think you should talk to Daeyeol,” she changed the topic.

“Me?” he didn’t expect that quick switch in topic, but he adapted. “Why?”

“Sungyeol told me that Daeyeol’s at a major crossroads in his life now. He doesn’t know if he should continue or just call it quits. He hasn’t gone to practice since he joined art club,” she revealed to him. “He could use your advice.” This was also what she had been thinking about at the beginning of the drive, but she didn’t quite know how to bring it up.

“Because I was an idol?” Because she knew that Sunggyu was uncomfortable about talking about this corner of his past. He sounded really apprehensive about it now.

“And because you’re blunt,” Jinyoung added. Daeyeol could perhaps find a handful of idols to talk to, but there was only one incredibly blunt Sunggyu. He laughed at her reaction, not expecting it. “I know you want to hide that part of your life from the kids, but I don’t think it’s bad if _some_ of them knew.”

“It’s embarrassing,” now he was the one who was whining.

“No, it’s admirable,” Jinyoung shot back with a quick shake of her head. “Sunggyu, you were an idol that they can look up to.”

“Stop bullshitting,” he grumbled, not even sparing her a glance. “I failed.”

“You didn’t,” she raised her voice, wanting to get through his stubborn head. He didn’t seem to be buying it. He finally did look over at her, but it was for a dim glare. Jinyoung didn’t back down. “I mean, I know what happened, but I still think Heartthrob is something that you should be proud of. You did your best, Sunggyu, in everything.” At that he shifted in his seat. He was softening, and so Jinyoung kept going, “And you’re still getting better. You’ve improved since your idol days. I think that’s something that the kids will respect a lot. You didn’t give up on music.”

“They’ll respect me still? You think so?” he asked. Jinyoung nodded and mumbled a quiet ‘yes’ just in case he couldn’t see her out of the corner of his eye. “You’re...such a fangirl. It’s been so long since I’ve had a fan,” he teased her with a great laugh.

Jinyoung frowned. That wasn’t the reaction she expected or even wanted. It made her uneasy. _Did I reveal too much?_ _But…I’m not like that._ She glowered at him before softening into a sly smile, when she figured out what to say. “You have many fans, Kim-saem. The school is full of them. I’m just a casual fan.”

“Are you now?” he challenged.

She nodded fervently and replied, “Eung, my bias in Heartthrob is Kim Myungsoo. I’m basically a Myungsoo akgae.”

Sunggyu stopped the car, which took Jinyoung by surprise. “We’re at your place. You can get out of the car now,” he announced.

“Oh,” she muttered as she looked out the window. Sure enough, there was her apartment building. Then at the windows. _The Hyuns are home? What time is it?_ She glanced over at the clock. It was past dinnertime. “I didn’t know it was this late,” she remarked.

“Yea, the day just flew by,” Sunggyu added, but it was muffled because he was rubbing his face. When he lowered his hands again, Jinyoung noticed just how tired he looked. And now he’d have to drive back all by himself. He hasn’t eaten either, Jinyoung thought as she chewed on her lip.

“Sunggyu, do you want to come up for food? I only really have ramyun at home though,” she offered with a shaky smile.

“Are you asking me up for ramyun?” Of course he would twist it that way.

“Well, no not like that. I asked if you wanted food not…” Jinyoung stammered, defending herself. “We could order in too, if you wanted! Like Chinese or chicken. Or you could just…”

“I’d love to,” Sunggyu interrupted her before she dug herself into another hole with her words. And she was happy he did (and that he accepted).

“Okay then. Let’s go,” she replied. And then she opened the door about to get out, but when she tried to get up, she was forced back down onto the seat. Her seatbelt was still on. And Jinyoung just sat there for a moment, defeated. Sunggyu laughed and reached over to unbuckle her belt. “Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath. But she still didn’t get up.

“No problem,” Sunggyu replied as he got out of the car. “Let’s go eat!”

And if Jinyoung thought that was her most embarrassing moment of the evening, she was wrong, completely wrong.


End file.
